News / parks
Council pauses plans to charge for paid-for activities in parks
Council plans to introduce charges for commercial activities in parks have been put on hold after widespread public outcry.
On a page of the council’s website, where businesses were being urged to apply for the licensing until Sunday, a box now reads: “This application form is temporarily unavailable and will be live again shortly.”
Following a discussion with the Lib Dem chair of the public health & communities committee, Stephen Williams, Green members of the council have confirmed that the scheme is now “paused”.
is needed now More than ever
The proposed licence fee would apply to any paid-for activities inside parks, including dog walking licenses for per walker
In a statement to Bristol24/7, Green councillors said: “Bristol Greens believe that the fees associated with the parks licensing scheme, as currently proposed, are inappropriate and go against many of the values the city and we as a party hold as important.
“We are glad that following discussions with the chair of the public health and communities committee, the scheme will be paused while the council gets a clearer understanding of the businesses operating in our parks and the impact the proposed fees will have.
“We encourage all business owners to put in licensing applications so the council can do this effectively.”
On the council’s website, an updated section explaining the parks business license application mentions a ‘discovery phase’, which they say is aimed to get a better understanding of the kind of businesses that currently operate in parks.
It reads: “We’re using the current period to ask business owners to come forward with licence applications as a ‘discovery phase’ to give us a clearer understanding of the businesses operating in our parks and before deciding on an implementation date.”
If resumed and implemented, licensing fees for paid-for activities in the park could cost £450 or £900 annually.
Despite Bristol’s Labour group joining the outcry over the proposed new charges, plans to do something similar to increase income generation from parks were discussed by the previous mayoral administration but never came to fruition.
A cabinet report from May 2018 proposed to “introduce new, competitive fees and charges for any business operating from a park or green space. This includes fitness instructors, dog walkers, balloon flights and any other business using public open space”.
The latest paused plans were originally given the go-ahead in June by council leader Tony Dyer and policy chairs.
Bristol’s Labour group leader Tom Renhard said: “This is yet another welcome U-turn from the Green-Lib Dem coalition running the council.
“They were barking up the wrong tree with this scandalous cash-grab. This ill-considered policy hurts working people; they should never have approved it in the first place.
“The Green Party council chiefs were consulted on this decision, yet they’re trying to throw their Lib Dem colleagues under the bus.
“It smacks of desperation and reflects the mess the council is under their leadership.”
Main photo: Bristol HIIT Fitness
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