Southwark Council has proposed to increase property inspection fees for pests by 130 per cent in a 2022/23 draft budget discussed on Monday.
This would equate to a price of £57.30 per visit.
Discounted visits will also jump by 100 per cent to £28.60.
Councillors have expressed unease about the higher pest control charges and their effect on vulnerable residents, who are already struggling amid surging living costs.
“Southwark Labour is not listening to residents complaining about fly-tipping, damp or mouldy flats and disrepair in estate,” said Liberal Democrats Cllr Maria Linforth-Hall, as part of her role in the oversight and scrutiny committee.
“That it now wants to add to residents’ woes by making it even more expensive to deal with pest issues is not only ignorant, but also cruel to those on lower incomes. It cannot complain about inflationary pressures on people in our borough while adding to these issues as well.”
These potential increases follow similar changes last year when the council hiked fees by 94 per cent.
“A benchmarking exercise with local pest control service providers and neighbouring boroughs with similar characteristics and demographics to Southwark, shows that these new prices remain extremely competitive,” said Southwark Council in a document.
Treatments for rodents, bed bugs, moths and fleas will increase by two per cent in line with inflation.
This proposed hike follows revelations that council tax bills in Southwark have risen more than anywhere else in the capital over the last five years.
The Council will seek approval for the draft budget on February 1.
A recording of the meeting can be found here.