Further options to be explored for pest control service
Poster information
Posted on: Wednesday 20 January 2021
Bridgend County Borough Council will explore further options for the future of its pest control service.
The local authority currently offers residents a free domestic pest control service for rats, mice, bedbugs and cockroaches and only charges for the treatment of fleas and wasps. Rentokil is contracted to provide the service until 30 April 2021.
At its meeting on Tuesday 19 January, Cabinet was asked to choose from three options – discontinuing the non-mandatory service, re-tendering the contract and introducing charges for residents, or re-tendering the contract and keeping services free.
Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, said: “Bridgend County Borough Council is one of only a few local authorities in Wales to offer these services for free.
“In July 2017, Bridgend was named ‘the most rat-infected place in Britain’ by a national newspaper but this was only based on the number of pest control call-outs that are logged. Offering these services for free means reports are naturally higher here compared to other areas where councils charge for the service.
“Pest control is a well-used service. I’d like to see the free service kept for treating problems with rats but we will explore potential options.”
Cabinet agreed to extend the current contract while further options are looked into.