‘Despairing’ dog boarding business owners call on council to review drastic fee hike

In July, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported that Kirklees Council was drastically upping fees on its animal licences. Such licences are required for several activities including selling animals as pets, boarding cats and dogs and breeding dogs.

The increase that is due to come in next month will see charges rise from £482 for a three-year licence to £1,650, plus a £221 consideration fee, for the same licence. This caused outrage among business owners in the trade, with some telling of how they will be unable to continue their work.

One of whom, Amelia Franks, owner of Countryside Canines Dog Walking and Boarding attended last week’s Full Council meeting with two other business owners and gave an impassioned deputation, asking the council to review its increased fees. She said it was not “fair” or “reasonable” for small-scale dog borders.

Ms Franks told the meeting that she boards one dog at a time but has to pay the same as a kennel with 20-plus dogs. She continued: “While we understand the need for a price increase, the planned increase is so drastic that it’s going to become an overhead that is just not feasible for many small businesses.”

Ms Franks, who also has a 2,000-signature strong petition against the increase, said it was “frustrating” that neighbouring councils have “significantly cheaper” licences costing £403 in Leeds, £409 in Calderdale and £341 in Wakefield. She added that elsewhere, fees vary depending on how many dogs are being looked after.

She added: “Not only is it concerning that our businesses are at risk but as a predominantly female industry we feel that the female business owners are facing yet another unintentional disadvantage in society. I have asked if other industries that are predominantly male-led have faced similar price increases within Kirklees, however, I’m yet to receive a response on this.

“Lastly, and most importantly, we feel that the welfare of the dogs and dog owners within Kirklees has been totally overlooked. We mostly take on dogs who are not suitable for kennels, they might be anxious, nervous, come from a rescue centre and have very specific requirements.

“Ourselves and our clients are in despair. We urgently call for the new licensing fees to be reviewed before many of us lose our essential businesses that we’ve worked hard for and before dog owners find themselves making tough decisions about where to place their dogs.”

Addressing Ms Franks’ deputation was Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Masood Ahmed. He said: “The council appreciates the impact of the proposed fee increases on animal licence holders, particularly small home boarding businesses such as yours which may have fewer dogs than other large boarding establishments.

“Unfortunately, the size of the business has minimal impact on the actual cost of carrying out the licensing process.

“The council takes the welfare of dogs and any other animal very seriously. While the new three-year licence fee of £1,871 is an increase, it equates to approximately £12 per week and £1.70 per day as a business cost.

“We have also made it possible to pay a proportion of the licence fee by direct debit to help spread the cost across the period of licence rather than requiring to be paid upfront as was previously required.”