Forum Topic

Hammersmith and Fulham Charging to Use Parks

According to this article in the Daily Mail - http://bit.ly/en3Ggr - the local Council is now charging personal trainers who bring clients to local parks. A fitness instructor was asked to pay £350 because it was claimed he was using it as a place of business. The article says this happened in Hurlingham Park, Putney but I'm pretty sure this park is in Fulham.

Ellen Kearney ● 5116d4 Comments

I think it's a really mean-spirited money-grabbing policy and goes against what public parks are really all about, i.e. a place for residents and visitors of the borough to come and enjoy some open air and greenery without having to pay for it. Whilst it may be all very well for a set-up like British Military Fitness or other large commercial entities to pay a licence fee (they take proper classes in the park, so it's valid enough), it's completely different for one to one trainers who are probably using the parks because they are either local themselves or their client is. If a local resident wants to exercise in the park and chooses to engage a personal trainser to help them do it, why should they pay? I agree with one of the other comments which is that if PTs are charged for the privilege of being in a public park, then they'll have to pass that charge on to their clients and they will be priced out of the market.

Frankie McAllister ● 5088d

Some of the coverage have mention British Military Fitness as supporting the Council in their action. You can perhaps see their point of view - if they have paid for their licence and other operators haven't there is an element of unfairness. On the other hand the high fixed cost of the licence is unfair on smaller operators and the Council is effectively helping a larger company drive them out of the market.

Paul Corcoran ● 5088d

Seems, from this forum, that the story is true. http://www.hammersmithtoday.co.uk/default.asp?section=community&link=http://nnet-server.com/server/common/hfcoun097.htmWhat the council doesn't seem to have taken into account is that the clients of the trainers have paid their council taxes to use the park. These additional charges being levied on the trainers will inevitably be passed on to the clients, who will then be paying twice for using the park.I would have thought that the council would want to encourage any of their residents to get fit (forgive me, but I seem to recall that London is hosting some large sporting event in the not so distant future) rather than trying to nickle and dime charges like this.

Madalyn Roker ● 5113d

Seems a bizarre story. Whatever you may think about H&F Council they are unlikely to have initiated a policy which would bring in so little money and cause so much negative press. Is it the case that park services are contracted out? If so are they contracted out to the same people who run local leisure centres? If this is the case then this is probably about the leisure services provider trying to knock out some of the competition.

Paul Corcoran ● 5115d