A lesson from the pandemic is that new homes built in the West of England should be pet friendly, says Metro Mayor candidate Dan Norris.
Pet ownership has soared during the covid crisis and 74% of pet owners say having a pet has helped their mental health while they were coping with coronavirus curbs.
However the Metro Mayor candidate has claimed too many people are shut out from pet ownership by housing policy and has pledged to change this if elected.
Speaking on Pet Awareness Day he explained, “New housing needs to be close to green spaces so people can keep dogs, cat flaps should come as standard and I want developers to think about the kind of materials they use in homes such as durable floors and scratch-resistant finishes for window ledges. I also want to work with landlords to make it easier for tenants to have pets in their homes.”
Last year only around 7% of landlords advertised homes as suitable for pets.
Mr Norris continued: “My dog Angel brings me a huge amount of joy and companionship. We’re a nation of animal lovers and we have seen how pets have improved people’s mental and physical wellbeing during the covid crisis. I want to ensure no one misses out.”