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Boarding cats and dogs

Appeal a licensing decision

Use this service if your premises has been inspected and you don't think the star rating you were given was fair.

If you think your star rating isn't fair and you want to appeal, you'll need to do it within 21 days, including bank holidays and weekends.

Before you appeal

Before you appeal your star rating, you should speak to the inspecting officer who carried out your inspection. They'll be able to explain why you received the score you did and suggest improvements you could make.

Appealing

If you've spoken to the inspecting officer and you still don't believe your rating's fair, you can formally appeal it.

To formally appeal your star rating, you'll need to email our animal licensing team at animallicensing@swale.gov.uk. You'll need to include:

  • the name of your premises
  • the date your inspection took place
  • the star rating your received

For alternative ways to appeal, including by post, you can visit our contact us page.

After you've appealed

Once we've received your formal appeal, we'll consider it and reply to you within 21 days, including bank holidays and weekends.

Your appeal will be considered by either the head of department, or a deputy they decide to appoint. Alternatively, your appeal may be considered by their equivalent in another council.

Fees

If your star rating improves after your appeal, the length of your licence may also increase and you'll need to pay the difference.

You may also need to pay a fee depending on:

  • whether we've had to use extra officers to assess your appeal
  • whether we can make a decision based only on your written appeal
  • your reason for appealing

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