COUNCIL chiefs look set to levy an administration fee of more than £118,000 for the issuing and yearly maintenance of a zoo licence from April.

The cost of applying for a zoo licence from Barrow Borough Council for the 2017/18 financial year is proposed to be set at £7,900.

But anyone who is successful in obtaining a licence to run a zoo from BBC's licensing committee is then set to have to stump up a whopping £111,000 maintenance charge.

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Bosses within the authority claim the hefty price tag - which totals £118,900 - is as a result of the heavy burden upon staff to monitor a successful zoo licence throughout the year.

Zoos have to comply with a range of strict criteria to ensure they are safe for staff and visitors and provide the right environment for the animals and exhibits within them.

By law, Barrow Borough Council is entitled to recoup the full cost of this work through the maintenance fee.

BBC's principal environmental protection and licensing officer said: "It's important to note that these are the proposed fees for next year which are yet to be agreed.

"But we do work on the basis of full cost recovery given how much time the officers spend ensuring all conditions of the licence are met throughout the year."

Barrow Borough Council's licensing regulation committee is set to consider whether to grant a licence to David Gill, owner of South Lakes Safari Zoo, in Dalton, on Monday.

Government inspectors, who visited the site in January, have recommended the committee reject Mr Gill's application after they concluded he was responsible for allowing animals in his care to suffer.

A report released this week revealed 486 animals have died or were killed at Dalton's zoo between December 2013 and September 2016 from causes including emaciation, hypothermia and infighting from overstocked pens.

A separate application for a zoo licence has been made by the newly-formed Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd - the firm now responsible for managing Dalton zoo on a day to day basis.

The council's licensing committee is expected to consider CZCL's case for a licence next month.

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