Council pest control prices set to increase

North Yorkshire residents with a bug infestation will now be charged more for treatment than households with rat or mouse problem.

From 1 April, North Yorkshire Council say the price for responding to an issue with moths, beetles and cockroaches will increase from £100 to £160.

"The initial fee set last year was well below the market level and as such this particular treatment was not cost effective for the council to operate," said Dean Richardson, the council's head of regulatory services.

It is hoped a number of fee increases for pest control will help the council save £50,000 a year.

The council said the fee for a rat or mice call-out would increase by £5 to £120 and the charge for dealing with fleas and grey squirrels is to rise from £150 to £160.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Richardson said pest control was a discretionary rather than statutory service offered by the authority.

He said the council was operating in competition with commercial pest control companies and "benchmarking" had been carried out to ensure that fees were competitive.

"The other fees have been increased to produce a round figure that can be easily marketed with the exception of wasps nests, which has been held at last year's price due to this being the largest volume treatment provided by the council and to remain in line with the market," he added.

The fees were previously changed following local government reorganisation in 2023.

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