Issue - meetings

That Members note the contents of the report and promote the Pest Control service within their local communities, where possible.

Councillor Chris Bithell introduced the report on the work of the Council’s Pest Control service.  He highlighted the importance in continuing this non-statutory service to help meet the public health agenda.

The Community & Business Protection Manager said there was an increased focus on promoting the service on which Members could assist by raising awareness amongst residents.

The Licensing Team Leader spoke about the vast experience of the small team in providing a professional, high quality service which had been recognised in positive feedback from residents.  There were a number of initiatives to publicise the services available which were competitively priced and included follow-up visits.

The Chief Officer (Planning & Environment) added that preventative services were also being offered to clients and that the long-term aim was to develop a self-funded model for the service.

Councillor Evans asked about dealing with pest problems emanating from another person’s property.  The Team Leader advised that in respect of privately owned land, the team would approach those residents and provide advice to encourage them to tackle the problem.  If the problem occurred on a Council owned property, this could be progressed through Housing colleagues.

The Chairman praised the service given by the Council.  He felt that a person reporting an infestation on a neighbour’s property should not have to bear the cost of resolving it and that councils should be given more powers to tackle this.

Councillor Shotton commended the professionalism of the team and Councillor Legg highlighted the dangers of ignoring pest control.

When asked about charges, the Manager advised that these were reviewed annually and accompanied the publicity leaflets circulated to commercial clients.  She pointed out that unlike private sector companies providing pest control services, the Council was able to offer concessionary rates for households meeting the criteria.

In response to further questions, officers explained the arrangements with the North Clwyd Animal Rescue to take in stray dogs.

RESOLVED:

That Members note the contents of the report and promote the Pest Control service within their local communities, where possible.