Marcus Bishop Associates - Chartered Certified Accountants - The way forward for Businesses

Does your business use the park to generate income? If the answer is yes, then you should be prepared for an increase in your running costs (sorry for the pun!). Local Councils have begun charging individuals who use the public parks in the course of their business a fee. The targets for such fees are personal trainers, dog walkers and nannies.
 
Hammersmith & Fulham council have been charging fitness instructors for the use of Hurlingham Park in SW London. It is within the council’s policies to charge anyone using their parks for commercial gain. Such a great money spinner for local councils will no doubt be adopted by other boroughs. As a guide the fees range between £350 to £1,200 a year. At present the council charges personal trainers for fitness group classes of three members. However, the proposal is to extend the charging to one-to-one sessions.
 
Will this thinking be extended to the coffee shops which have become low cost meeting venues for the small business community, especially homeworkers? Such a policy would have stifled the growth of many start-ups.
 
A council spokesperson has assured the public, "anyone can use our parks free, including personal trainers. But as soon as personal trainers start making money out of the park, they are running a business and need a licence."