A ‘BRING your own baby’ choir for parents fears it will be forced to pay to sing in parks in Bristol from this month.
New rules from Bristol City Council say that anybody carrying out “commercial activities” in open green spaces across the city will have to apply for an annual licence.
The changes also affect professional dog walkers, who have been ordered by the council to walk no more than four dogs at a time for safety reasons.
Anybody caught without a licence could face a £500 fine. Questions about the impacts of the licences were raised during a full council meeting and member forum on March 10, including why dog walkers get a discount.
Julia Turner, founder of the BYOB Choir, said: “Why does Bristol City Council think that commercial dog walkers are more worthy of reduced fees for using Bristol parks than small health and wellbeing groups? I’m currently being asked to pay twice what commercial dog walkers will be, to keep running my classes that support the mental health of postnatal women.
“Over five years of running classes outside, the only problems I’ve encountered in the parks — except for the lack of clean, safe facilities — are problems with dog poo and mismanaged dog behaviour. I’m not against commercial dog walkers, but I do not see why they merit special consideration.”
The choir meets at St Andrews Park on Tuesday mornings and at three other parks in the city. Its aim is to create a supportive group for parents, who say the choir builds confidence and a sense of community, in a baby-friendly environment.
While dog walkers will get a discounted rate on licences, they have been ordered to walk no more than four dogs at a time.
Green Councillor Emma Edwards said: “I’ve had quite a lot of emails about this and quite a bit of upset. What we’re hearing from these businesses is that if they’re having to cut their business down, because they’re going from walking six dogs to four dogs, they’re worried about the viability of their businesses.”
Licences for one park will cost £480, and licences for up to seven parks will cost £720. Half price discounts are available for Bristol-based businesses with an annual turnover of less than £25,000, on licences for up to seven parks. Licences for between eight and 15 parks will cost £960 and will not be eligible for a discount. All these figures include the council fee plus VAT.
For commercial dog walking, licences for up to seven parks will cost £360, while licences for eight to 15 parks will cost £600. Half price discounts are available for Bristol-based businesses with a turnover of less than £25,000 who operate in seven or fewer parks. There is also a £60 application fee.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Stephen Williams, chair of the public health and communities policy committee, said: “Inevitably there will probably be some issues that will crop up during the first year of operation. I’ve said all along we’ll keep it under review and we’ll make changes for the 2027 renewal of the licence. If anything particularly stark comes up during the year, then we can fine-tune it during the year as well.”
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service