The Scottish Government’s nature agency is to axe a free service for people needing advice on bats in a move critics fear could result in “desperate householders” illegally destroying bat roosts.
From next April people will have to pay for guidance on how to manage bats roosting in their roofs following a decision by NatureScot to scrap its free Bats in Houses service.
The move will involve the redundancy of 27 bat workers, employed on zero hour contracts, for a saving of around £30,000 from NatureScot’s annual budget of £68.2m.
Under the Bats In Houses scheme householders with concerns about bats were able call a helpline and, if necessary, organise a visit from an experienced bat worker to agree a suitable course of action.
Bats are a protected species and the service has been in operation since 2003.
We all see this as an ill-chosen backward step that is going to ultimately lead to a lot of bad publicity for bats, desperate householders and potentially to many illegally destroyed bat roosts.
John Haddow
Despite the apparent need for savings, NatureScot has not announced any plans to cut or freeze the salaries of the eight members of its senior management team which added up to £679,000 in 2022/23.
Pay rates at the body for the last financial year ranged from a minimum of £73,446 for deputy directors to £119,574 for the chief executive.
One critic of the move said NatureScot’s decision was “an ill-chosen backward step” that could lead to “desperate householders” illegally destroying bat roosts.
The Bat Conservation Trust said it was not consulted as part of the review and “did not agree” with the decision to scrap the scheme.
In reply NatureScot said that its “aim is that a well-managed helpline staffed by skilled and knowledgeable individuals” will be offered as a service next year.
As endangered species, bats are fully protected under UK and European law. It is an offence to kill them or damage their roosts.
Species regularly recorded in houses include soprano pipistrelles, which prefer to roost in crevices above wall heads and under loose slates, and brown long eared bats, which favour large open roof voids.
Maternity colonies, where female bats gather to give birth to their young in the summer months, and hibernating bats in the winter are particularly vulnerable to disturbance.
A reply by NatureScot to a freedom of information (FOI) request shows that – as a result of advice from Bats In Houses last year – 33 roosts including three different bat species and 1976 individual bats were saved from being evicted from their roosts.
By the end of November 2024, the helpline had received 409 calls, 219 of which were dealt with on the phone – and 90 of those resulted in follow-up home visits.
Bat protection remains a high priority and we will continue to ensure that appropriate advice and guidance is available.
NatureScot spokesperson
The FOI request also revealed that BCT’s chief executive wrote to NatureScot as early as April 2024 expressing concerns about ending the scheme, and warning about the subsequent negative impact on bat conservation including the potential for direct loss of bat roosts from illegal blocking.
The NatureScot FOI response included the combined minutes of three Bats In House meetings attended by observers from BCT, where bat workers were described as being “exasperated” by service being scrapped as it delivered such “very good value for money”.
John Haddow is one of the UK’s most experienced bat workers and has been part of the Bats In House team since it began two decades ago.
He said: “We all see this as an ill-chosen backward step that is going to ultimately lead to a lot of bad publicity for bats, desperate householders and potentially to many illegally destroyed bat roosts.”
Haddow said the team were employed on a zero hours basis and were not in the job for financial reasons, but because they are passionate about bat conservation. “I do not believe that the senior management at NatureScot fully appreciates what will be lost if they discard the system currently working for the conservation of our bat species,” he added.
According to Haddow, the NatureScot head of licensing admitted to him at a meeting of bat workers in February 2024 that the reason for axing the service was not one of budgetary constraints, but in anticipation of an increase in work for NatureScot as a result of the recently passed Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill which includes a new licensing framework for grouse moors.
“It therefore appears that conservation of our native bat fauna is being axed in favour of grouse shooting. Is that really NatureScot working for nature conservation in Scotland?” he said.
A NatureScot spokesperson said: “NatureScot has reviewed the Bats in Houses service and we are currently exploring a new model for it after the current contract ends in 2025. In consultation with bat workers and other interested parties on the way forward, our aim is that a well-managed helpline staffed by skilled and knowledgeable individuals will remain at the heart of this service. Bat protection remains a high priority and we will continue to ensure that appropriate advice and guidance is available.”
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Main image: Stuart Spray
