Council urged to scrap 'rat tax'

Birmingham City Council has been urged to scrap its "rat tax" over concerns there could be a rise in vermin during ongoing bin strikes.

Rat control treatments were previously free to residents but charges were added to the authority's budget a year ago to help offset its financial crisis.

A licensing and public protection committee has now voted in favour of an amendment to halt the charges, although full council could yet overturn the outcome.

Council director of regulation and enforcement Sajeela Naseer said the charge was brought in because delivering a free service was costing the authority about £400,000 a year.

Conservative councillor Adam Higgs, who described it as a "rat tax", put forward the amendment to a review of pest control charges that proposed raising levies from £24 to £26.40.

He told a committee hearing: "I believe that the service should be free – we are currently in the midst of a bin strike where residents, through no fault of their own, are not having their waste collected.

"This is obviously going to have an impact on an increase in rats."

Committee chair Sam Forsyth, Labour, said she opposed introducing rat charges last year and her objection was still there.

Ms Naseer stated "we're in a specific financial situation" and in introducing charges, the Labour-controlled council followed a lead shown by other local authorities.

She said while there had been "a drop-off of use of services" since the switch, there had been no increase in complaints to the council's environmental health section "with relation to rats".

She added the council believed residents were carrying out treatments themselves and buying poison from retailers.

"Whereas last year the pest control service was costing the council £400,000, it will now be of no cost to the council," she said.

Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard said he supported the amendment but warned committee that full council overturned a similar one last year.

As it stands, treatments for rats in the house and garden remain free for council tenants.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.