North Yorkshire Council has increased the cost of some of its pest control services.

The cost of paying the council to treat ants has gone up from £56.40 to £87 and the cost of treating wasps has risen from £66 to £73.

However, council fees for tackling rats, mice and grey squirrels have been pegged at £108, £98.40 and £175.20 respectively locally.

It is part of a move by the new council to harmonise pest control fees in the county.

North Yorkshire Council replaced seven district and borough councils, including Harrogate, in April.

Four of the previous councils — Harrogate, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Ryedale. — treated pests, which is a discretionary service local authorities are not obliged to provide.

According to a council report, Harrogate Borough Council was the only one to make a profit from pest control. The other three councils subsidised the service.

Harrogate Borough Council spent £102,100 on the service in 2022/23 and generated £153,600 — a profit of £51,500.

Now the council has set a new set of fees, which it estimates will generate a £13,000 profit this year.

The report says:

“The benefit is not significant in terms of income, but it would achieve greater consistency in charges across localities.”

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It’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. The fourth in our series of networking events, with Banyan Bar & Kitchen, is a breakfast event on April 27 from 8am.

Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

More than 500 professionals have been in Harrogate for a pest control conference for the first time since early 2020.

PPC Live, hosted by the British Pest Control Association, shared the latest innovations in the industry with visitors from across the UK and Europe.

Held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, it included a demonstration by Brian Leith and Benji the dog, showing how they can identify a bed bug infestation.

Lauren Day, events manager at BPCA said:

“We were delighted to be back in Harrogate and networking with visitors, sponsors and exhibitors from across the industry.

“PPC Live gave visitors the chance to get hands-on with new pest kit, meet the people designing and distributing the latest in pest control technology and of course see interesting demos like Benji the bed bug detection dog in action.”

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Harrogate firm secures first council wellbeing award

A council-run workplace wellbeing scheme has given the first level of accreditation to a Harrogate business.

Pemco, based in Starbeck’s Spa Lane, signed up to the Workplace Wellbeing Award through the public health team at North Yorkshire County Council.

The scheme gives businesses a framework to ensure staff welfare is made a high priority.

For Pemco, which offers management support and training services to other companies, this has meant hybrid working, modern office facilities, and team-building events. The company has also committed to not contacting staff by email outside working hours.

Holly Astbury, a partner at Pemco and the company’s wellbeing lead, said:

“The award process has been a fantastic opportunity for us to focus on our employees’ health and wellbeing.

“The support from the Workplace Wellbeing team at the council has been invaluable, especially the opportunity to carry out an in-depth health needs assessment, which gave us an insight into our employees’ needs and allowed us to tailor an action plan to suit them, rather than guessing in the dark about which interventions to implement.”

Design lead Andrew Liddle said:

“Flexible working has made a massive difference to mine and my family’s routine. It takes away a huge headache of having to pick the kids up from school before work finishes.

“The monthly team meals are great for us all to catch up together, as well as the social events outside of work like the picnic and quiz night.”

Established in 2010, Pemco currently has a team of seven, and is recruiting as part of its expansion plans.

Three weeks after rat infestation closed a children’s play area in Ripon, the gates remain chained up.

Vermin control measures are in place at Quarry Moor playground, which is owned and operated by Ripon City Council.

To tackle the problem, the council has been clearing discarded food waste and put up signs asking visitors to the adjacent nature reserve to take their rubbish home with them.

Discarded food items attracted rats to the area.

The playground will remain closed until the rat problem, which poses a threat to public health, is eradicated.

Among those monitoring the situation and removing dead rats from the site is Trevor Welbourn, who regularly visits Quarry Moor park with his Labrador, Sparky.

Mr Welbourn told the Stray Ferret:

“Before the pest control measures were put in place, I was here one morning and there must have been at least 20 rats in the car park, eating discarded food.

“I come most days. I’ve removed 16 in the past week.”

Helping to rid the area of rodents — Trevor Welbourn and Rocky.

A statement by the city council when the park closed on September 15 said:

“The rat problem is worse than ever this year and we have unfortunately had to take the decision to close the playground on the grounds of public health.

“We will work with our partners at Harrogate Borough Council to address the pest problem and will explore all options available, including the use of poison, with both HBC and Natural England.

“We will make changes to the way rubbish is death with on site, all bins will be removed and we encourage all visitors to take their waste home with them.

“The volume of waste collected on site is huge. We usually collect a minimum of eight bags of rubbish per day, which is a constant food supply for the ever growing rat population.

“We will trial a metal trade waste bin in the car park in the short term but ask everyone to take their rubbish home.”

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The city council announced a refurbishment of the park this year, funded by council taxpayers through their parish precept.

The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was donated to the city in 1945 by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence.