Personal trainers on the Downs will soon have to pay “eyewateringly expensive” licence fees after an attempt to pause their roll -out fell on deaf ears.
From this month personal trainers must start paying for licences to hold exercise classes on the Downs. For classes with 19 or fewer people, the fee will be £900 a year, while for classes with 20 or more people, the fee will be £2,600 a year. Classes will also be confined to certain zones.
The Downs committee voted by seven to two against pausing the introduction of the licence fees. The committee is made up of Bristol City Council councillors and members of the Society of Merchant Venturers.
Rob Perry, a personal trainer, told councillors: “The prices are eyewateringly high, destructive to local small businesses, and ultimately there is no alternative but for the local people to pay this. They’re already paying council tax, they want to come and use a local green space that is near to their home, and they now have to pay extra to do so.”
He added that the £2,600 fee was almost a quarter of his yearly takings before tax.
The licence fee income will help pay to maintain the Downs, including potential new security patrols to clamp down on anti-social behaviour. No forecasts have been carried out to estimate how much income the licence fees will be generated. It’s also unclear how the council will enforce classes run by personal trainers who haven’t paid for a licence.
Bootcamp classes will be confined to a few areas on the Downs and not allowed to operate outside of these.
Jonathan Baker, the master of the Merchant Venturers, said: “The café that operates on the Downs contributes around £25,000 a year. The ice cream operator contributes to being on the Downs to the tune of about £40,000 a year. The Bristol Downs League and student leagues pay circa £50,000 a year.
“The figure we arrived at for charging came from the amount we charge each football team. Bearing in mind they play less often and on a smaller area, we felt that was a good benchmark on which to operate. We are not stopping people from using the Downs. We are asking people to contribute to a community upkeep of a community asset.
“The Downs runs at a loss every year, something that for many years we have tried to correct. We are doing our best but it’s very difficult. We will review any contract after 12 months of the first year and maybe after that.”
He added that the Downs committee was following the lead of the council, which is planning to roll out licences for other parks elsewhere in Bristol.
Green Councillor Guy Poultney suggested that the committee pause the licence fees, until they carry out a business case and equalities impact assessment and estimate how much income will be made. But he was voted down by a majority of the other members, so the licence fees will be introduced in April.
The committee initially voted to approve the fees in September in a closed meeting.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service