Park Fee Structure Leaves Choir Founder "Baffled"

A petition gathering hundreds of signatures is urging Bristol City Council to revise its new licensing fees for parks, which are impacting the Bring Your Own Baby (BYOB) choir. The group offers vocal sessions for new mothers across three Bristol parks. However, founder Julia Turner reports that maintaining affordable class rates has become increasingly challenging due to the council’s £400 annual fee for park usage. Turner noted that professional dog walkers pay significantly less than she does, a discrepancy that has left her confused.

In response, council officials stated that the licensing requirements are designed to ensure parks remain safe and are not meant to favor any specific type of business. The new scheme, introduced last month, requires various small businesses to pay for the right to operate within the city’s green spaces.

Turner explained that the choir’s sessions cost £8 each and are intended to support new mothers during the postnatal period, a time when they are vulnerable to depression. "It's a chance to get together and singing is quite bonding," she said, adding that the outdoor setting enhances the mental health benefits of the activity. "Being outside adds so much to the wellbeing benefits of singing because we're around the trees."

Despite these benefits, Turner described it as "baffling" that her organization pays 50% more than dog-walking businesses, even though the latter utilize the parks with greater frequency. "As a mother myself, I feel like we already have to deal with a lot. We don't have the mental health support that we should have. It just baffles and really saddens me," she expressed.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 85 businesses have already applied for licenses. The council offers a 50% discount to enterprises with an annual turnover under £25,000 that operate in seven or fewer of the city’s parks.

The new fees have also affected other community groups. Kate Spreadbury, representing the Bristol Parks Forum, stated that the organization can no longer sustain its park walks due to the costs. "If we want to have an active and inclusive city, we need to support the groups used and valued in our communities," Spreadbury said. "This policy is now doing real harm and we ask that you review its use urgently."

Bristol City Council maintains that the licenses are necessary to verify that park users are appropriately qualified and insured, thereby keeping green spaces pleasant and secure. The authority emphasized that any revenue generated from these licenses will be reinvested into park maintenance and improvements.

Addressing the concerns about the fee disparity, Councillor Stephen Williams, chair of the Public Health and Communities Committee, clarified that dog walkers are not subject to the same charges as the choir. "There is no specific discount applied to professional dog walkers, who are charged under a different fee structure to the Parks Business Licence," he explained. He added that this model aligns with how other local authorities manage commercial dog walking and does not constitute preferential treatment for any particular sector.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-06 05:24:27 UTC