Calderdale Council to stop providing pest control service due to budget pressures and more people using private firms

The council says they have come to the decision due to budget pressures and say that many other councils have stopped their pest control services too.

The news comes after Halifax town centre nightclub the Acapulco recently conducted their own clean-up operation after finding rubbish, fly-tipped items and drug-related debris on nearby streets.

Coun Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said: “We recognise that pest control is important to local people. There are many firms in the private sector providing competitively priced pest control services, and we have seen a growing trend of people using private firms rather than the Council’s charged-for service for pest control visits to their homes and businesses.

“With the continued financial pressures and significant budget savings that councils across the country are having to make, we are not able to sustain our pest control service or compete with the private sector. Therefore, over the next few months we will be phasing out the service provided to individual households and businesses, assessing the impact and directing people towards alternative providers. This is line with many other councils that have done the same thing over the last few years.

“Even though providing a pest control service is not one of our statutory responsibilities, we do have duties around environmental health and public health. We do all we can to keep our communities safe, clean, tidy and thriving places for residents and visitors to spend time. We will continue to address problems caused by vermin as part of this wider approach, using private sector pest control services as necessary. We will also maintain our other community-based services such as food hygiene inspections in businesses, emptying bins and street cleansing.”