Licensing fee hike of almost 500 per cent has traders fearing for dog boarding businesses

An animal licence is required for several activities including selling animals as pets, boarding cats and dogs and breeding dogs. Kirklees Council is responsible for issuing such licences.

However, this month Kirklees Council wrote to all licence holders announcing that prices would be increasing “significantly.” Previously, a three-year licence cost £342 but as of October, the same licence will cost businesses £1,650, plus an additional £221 consideration fee.

Nearby local authorities offer licences for a fraction of the price. In Calderdale, a licence for home boarding costs £172.74 annually, and Bradford charges £107.

In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council partially attributes the increase to “a large increase in the number of complaints received concerning licensed establishments and businesses operating without a licence.” Aside from this, “operational costs” like heating and IT support, are said to be to blame for the price hike.

Unsurprisingly, the new pricing has not gone down well for those working in the trade.

Pip who runs Pip’s Premier Pets Dog Boarding said: “I am a very small-scale Dog boarder in Kirklees. I hold a three-year, five-star licence with Kirklees. It costs me £342. When it expires, my next three years is set to cost me £1,650 plus a £242 consideration fee.

“I tend to only have one Dog at any time and do not try to fill my spots, I am happy with having the occasional dog staying with us. I charge £23 a night.

“Should I choose to put my fees up in line with the Kirklees increase I would be charging over £110 per night. The dog would often have a more expensive holiday than its owners!

“When my licence expires, I will not have the funds available to pay for my next licence. I’m guessing Kirklees will lose yet another pet sitter at this point.

“I love the dogs we have staying but as I am a small fry business the increased fee means I’ll probably quit. I have to pay the same fee as a 50-dog kennel. It just makes no sense. Kirklees say it’s just £10 a week…with no dog staying I don’t even take £10.”

Tayne Netherwood-Bray who runs Wavy-Tails Doggy Daycare and Boarding in Huddersfield is also fearing for his business’ future with the newly-announced price hikes. He explained that he will probably have to close if he is unable to find the cash when his licence is up for renewal next year.

He said: “I think for Huddersfield as a whole, a hell of a lot of businesses who can only have so many dogs at once will have to close. I can only have three.

“I don’t think there are enough of us as it is. There will be a lot of dogs who don’t get the attention and love they deserve.

“If owners of the dogs can’t find anyone in the area to look after them during the day while they’re at work or on holiday, there could be many dogs that would need to go back into care.”

Mr Netherwood-Bray expects that some businesses will go “under the radar” and operate without a licence when the increased costs come into force – exacerbating one of the problems Kirklees Council is trying to solve.

In a letter to licence holders, Environmental Group Leader for Kirklees Council, James Kaye, wrote: “The above legislation and guidance allow Councils to recover from licence holders the whole cost of running the Animal Licensing service. Historically, we have not recovered the whole cost, in fact most of the costs of running the service were covered by the taxpayer. To meet the economic pressures that the Council is also facing, we need to move towards a cost recovery model.

“Since 2020 the animal licencing fees have not increased and within that time our operational costs have increased significantly. The service has seen a large increase in the number of complaints received concerning licensed establishments and businesses operating without a licence, and this is having a large impact on our resources.

“We are sure you can appreciate that by ensuring we are adequately resourced to investigate and take enforcement action against poorly performing or unlicensed businesses; this helps provide a level playing field for legitimate good businesses and instills public confidence in your services.

“The service is also experiencing increased operational costs through heating, IT support and other infrastructure costs due to the current economic climate. These increased costs in how we deliver the animal licencing function have forced the service to increase its licence fees from 1 October 2023.”

Councillor Naheed Mather, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees said: “The council has taken a number of things into consideration when reviewing the fees for licences and has followed various guidance when setting these fees including Local Government Animal Welfare Group guidance and Local Government Association guidance on setting licence fees locally.

“In addition to increased operational costs for the service, complaints around concerns for establishments and businesses operating without licences have increased significantly with investigations having a large impact on the finances and resources for this team. Investigations into complaints helps prevent and stop unlawful and unlicenced businesses from trading, this in turn will have a positive impact on those businesses operating within Animal Welfare Regulations.”