Dumfries and Galloway Council considers rise in pest control fees
Proposed fee hike comes after reviews show current charges don't cover costs
The cost of getting rats, mice, wasps or ants dealt with by Dumfries and Galloway Council looks set to rise sharply.
Under proposals going before next week’s economy and infrastructure committee, council charges for rat and mouse treatment would rise by 60 percent to £118 for residents, while wasp and ant treatment would rise by 69 percent to £87.
This comes after it was revealed that the local authority carried out 746 mouse and rat treatments last year – an average of two every day.
The price increases are recommended in a report by Sandra Harkness, the council’s community protection manager, following a review of the pest control service.
The report reveals that current charges don’t cover what it actually costs the council to carry out treatments. Residents are currently charged £73.95 for mouse or rat treatment and £51.55 for wasps or ants, but the true cost to the council is £206.20 for rats and mice, £90.40 for wasps and £70.53 for ants.
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Comparing costs with nine other councils, the report found Dumfries and Galloway’s charges were lower than average across every treatment type.
The council report states that “the current level of fees does not cover our costs and that on average other councils are charging more than us,” adding there is “scope to apply a modest increase in fees which could be invested back into the service to improve service delivery.”
Even with the proposed rise, the report notes the service “would still need to be subsided by the council.”
Of the 746 mouse and rat treatments last year, only 274 were requested and paid for by property owners or occupiers.
The remaining 472 were carried out on council land or in public spaces as part of the council’s statutory duty to control rats and mice — including a number of rat infestations that needed repeat treatments.
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The service also responded to a further 463 requests to deal with wasps and ants.
The council’s duty to control rats and mice comes from the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 where the law “places a duty on every local authority to keep their area free from rats and mice.” This requires inspections and enforcement action even where treatment itself is delivered by someone else.
The report says residents could still access similar private-sector treatment locally at broadly similar cost if they chose not to use the council service, despite the fee increase.
Councillors are being asked to agree the new fee structure when the committee meets next Tuesday.