Inverness councillor claims seagulls are being 'treated better than people'

Inverness councillors have claimed that seagulls are being “treated better than people” and that the city has has “given control over” to the birds.

At a meeting of the city of Inverness committee, councillors agreed on an amended version of a new gull management policy to ensure better roll-out, following a lengthy debate over the birds’ “colonisation” of the city.

Leader of the opposition, Councillor Alasdair Christie (Inverness Ness-side, Lib Dem) said he did not agree with the incremental nature of the plans as he raised concerns about the birds’ impact on the city’s culture.

“We have given control over to the gulls,” he said.

“I see people who can’t use the cafes, can’t use the pavements. I see people in the bus queues who can’t eat outside because of the gulls.

“The gulls have won.”

A “push-pull” strategy described in policy documents – aimed at dissuading gulls from living in areas where they come into conflict with the human population and moving them towards more natural habitats – will be funded by a £20,000 grant from national nature heritage body NatureScot and will include “gull-resistant” bins, anti-perching systems and the use of audio and visual deterrents during breeding season.

Senior environmental officer for Highland Council, Eleanor Hood, explained that the aim of the plan is to cut off urban food sources in the hopes it will encourage the birds to nest elsewhere.

“We are not anti-gull, we are looking for a balanced approach,” she said as she also emphasised the importance of the public and local businesses in helping to reduce the city’s gull population.

“We can’t do this alone,” she said, adding that change was “not going to happen overnight.”

During the debate, councillor Michael Gregson (Inverness Central, Labour) described the urban gull population as an “epidemic” that has “colonised our city”, while Inverness South councillor Duncan McPherson (Highland Alliance) said the 32 to 35-year life span of the birds was a “prison sentence” for the city’s residents.

“Do the gulls have the vote and do the gulls pay business rates?” he asked.

“Because it would appear that the gulls are being treated better than the people of this area.”

While Inverness BID previously oversaw a programme of egg and nest removal in the city centre to reduce the population level, it pulled out earlier this year due to a lack of funding.

Cllr McPherson applauded the work previously done by BID, believing the new plans do not go far enough, a feeling shared by Cllr Christie, who said money previously spent had now “gone to waste”.

Ms Hood said that egg and nest removal “isn’t off the cards” under the new plans, but the behaviour of the birds had changed over time, so a new approach was required.

The idea of the introduction of a predator to control the population was floated by various members, as Inverness Provost, Cllr Glynis Campbell-Sinclair, recalled “Angel the Hawk,” who she said used to be deployed in the city centre as a control method for gulls.

She said Angel was “very, very effective” but Ms Hood said she “cost an awful lot of money” as well as there being a lack of data to prove whether the hawk had actually reduced city gull numbers overall or simply resulted in gulls moving from the centre to other parts of the city.