Birmingham City Council has confirmed that its pest control services for mice, bedbugs, cockroaches, and more have been permanently axed, with the authority now stating it “cannot help with issues involving pests other than rats.”
Background to the Cuts
Amid disruption from the ongoing bins strike, the council had previously suspended all pest control services except for rat treatments. The authority said at the time that focusing solely on rats was done to “prioritise public health” during the industrial action, which led to huge heaps of rubbish piling up and fears over rodents.
However, this approach meant the council was not taking bookings on its website for mice, wasps, bedbugs, cockroaches, and fleas. A recently-published council report has now confirmed that services for these particular pests have been scrapped altogether and suggested the authority had struggled to cover costs.
Financial Struggles and Increased Complaints
The report said the pest control service suspending the charge for rat treatments during the strike led to a “substantial increase” in complaints in 2025/26, rising to just over 9,400 requests for assistance at domestic properties. This was compared to around 6,500 requests the year before.
A small team of officers were also used to undertake area treatments, such as whole roads, to reduce rat problems in residential settings. “The team had been set up on a cost recovery ‘footing’ with the charges for domestic and commercial activity to cover the full cost of the team,” the report said. However, it continued that this budget neutral position was “not possible to achieve” and income could not offset the cost-of-service delivery.
New Operating Model
A new future operating model was therefore approved for the service, which resulted in only having officers to undertake domestic rat treatments in 2026 onwards. It also meant the service closed commercial activity as of March this year.
Birmingham City Council was contacted for comment on the pest control cuts. This report comes as the new leadership at Birmingham Council are urged to ‘save’ weekly bin collections and carry out a ‘city-wide clean-up operation’.
Political Reactions
The council is now being run by a coalition which involves the Lib Dems, Greens, and various independents after May’s dramatic elections. In a message to this new administration, Tory councillor Robert Alden said: “The new Liberal Democrat - Green administration has inherited a city facing significant challenges and residents will rightly expect to see a different approach. Across Birmingham, people have endured over 18 months of disruption to basic services. Communities want cleaner streets, reliable waste collections and a council focused on delivering for residents.”
The bins strike dispute, triggered over the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, saw the previous Labour administration at the council argue that a fair offer had been made to striking workers, despite claims that they face a pay cut of £8,000. Councillor Roger Harmer, the new Lib Dem leader of the council, has told residents that resolving the dispute “will take a little while.”
