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Council to introduce mandatory licences for groups using Bristol’s parks
Personal trainers and commercial dog walkers are among those who must pay a fee to use Bristol’s parks under a new licensing system being introduced by the council.
The system, designed to regulate activities in parks and generate an income stream to pay for their upkeep, affects businesses as well as not-for-profit organisations.
But Bristol City Council has made it clear that while it wants to get a “financial return” from commercial operators who use the city’s parks to make money, non-commercial organisations may have to pay a “nominal fee” only.
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Yoga teachers, fitness trainers, dance teachers, walking clubs, dog walking businesses, Nordic walking clubs and balloonists are among those who must have an annual licence to operate in parks owned by the council, scrutiny councillors heard.
Balloonists are among those who must have an annual licence to operate in parks owned by the council – photo by Martin Booth
Even school groups need a licence, as the system will allow the council to prevent double-booking and ensure the people in charge of activities are qualified and insured, officers told the communities scrutiny commission.
The council is already in the process of issuing licenses to groups that use its parks but is aware there may be more groups it does not know about.
Jon James, head of service for natural and marine environment, said: “As a landowner, we have a duty to effectively regulate what’s happening on our site.
“If you’re a commercial operator then there’s going to be a fee. If you’re non-commercial then we need to see what we can do. There might just be a nominal charge for a licence to cover any administration costs.”
Members of the scrutiny commission were supportive of the scheme, saying it was only right that park users contributed to their maintenance given the council’s limited resources.
Commission chair, Green councillor Martin Fodor, said he suspected that personal training sessions and bootcamps that encourage participants to step up onto park benches were responsible for “an awful lot of broken benches”.
Joggers have complained about coming across exercise ropes when running and the “potential trip hazards” they present, he added.
The licensing scheme runs alongside the council’s Future Parks programme, which aims to find ways to commercialise the city’s green spaces to shore up the parks department’s scarce budget after a decade of austerity.
Amanda Cameron is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Main photo by Ellie Pipe
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