Midlothian Council may introduce fees for traffic light changes by contractors, aiming to boost revenue.
Councillors will review these new fees next week as the council aims to boost its income, with several other charges also under consideration. They might license people boarding pets at home, applying if no inspections are needed. Also, bedbug fees could change.
Instead of per-room fees, they propose a whole-house charge. Some people only treated one room, which worsened the bedbug problem.
Other councils already charge for traffic light switches. Midlothian uses private firms now; they propose doing it internally. Switching lights during work hours costs £150 per switch. After hours, it jumps to £300. Emergency switches and short notice switches both cost £450.
Staff delays at work sites also incur extra costs. The proposed charges allow an hour after the set time. Delays past that hour will cost more, with each extra hour, or part of an hour, costing £150. This is to cover the council’s extra time, ensuring delays increase the final amount.
Bedbug and cockroach fees are also changing in the report. They noted people were saving costs by cutting corners, as customers only treated one room initially. Treating just one room worsened the infestation problem and increased the risk to neighbours. The new fees stop treating only one room at a time.
The plan includes new charges for up to three bedrooms plus a living room. Further charges will be applied differently for bigger homes over three bedrooms.