- Are YOU affected by the change? Email: edward.holt@dailymail.co.uk
Beach hut owners have claimed they are being treated like ‘wealthy NIMBYs’ after they were ordered to pay full council tax on their ‘second homes’.
The huts, worth around half a million pounds each, along Mudeford Spit and Hengistbury Head have fallen into the sights of the local council as it scrambles to fund local services.
Historically, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has not categorised the huts as second homes, which has entitled its well-heeled owners to a 50 per cent council tax discount.
But now BCP Council has announced plans to reclassify the timber cabins as holiday homes and are putting them in the council tax band A.
This is despite the fact the sought-after huts can only be slept in six months of the year and have no toilets or mains electricity.
On top of this, over half of their owners do not live in the area.
The owners, who face bills of over £1,500 a year from April, say they are being milked by a cash-strapped council which has run out of money.
Officials say the council tax bill will be ‘relatively small’ compared to the value of the huts which can sell for between £400,000 and £575,000.
The Mudeford Sandbank Beach Hut Association is even considering taking legal action against the local authority over the matter.
Chairman Darren Pidwell said: ‘We are considering the legal basis for the application of council tax on what is a wooden shed with no mains connections or individual toilet facilities.’
From April, 344 beach huts on the idyllic stretch of Dorset coastline will be classified as second homes and no longer be eligible for the reduction.
Some 231 of these are owned by people living outside of the local authority area.
Bills will leap up to £1,503 per year – an increase of more than £60 per month – as the council tries to raise an additional £211,000 for under-pressure local services.
The beach huts, which can be stayed in overnight for part of the year, measure just 13ft by 16ft but can fetch more than a four-bedroom home in some parts of the country.
With price tags up to £575,000, the value of these huts also eclipses the area’s average house value of £313,000.
The council’s decision tears up the arrangement it inherited from past Bournemouth and Christchurch councils.
BCP, like many councils, is struggling to make ends meet and must search for new sources of income to keep services afloat.
One of the huts in question hit the market last year for a staggering £430,000 after the owners bought it for £60,000 in 1997.
The hut does not even face the sea and, like the rest, does not have running water or mains electricity.
It is serviced by an oven, hob and fridge powered by a Calor gas bottle, and limited electricity supplied by solar panels on the roof.
It can sleep five to six people, with the lounge area doubling as a bedroom and two beds in the mezzanine floor area above.
Cllr Mike Cox, Cabinet Member for Finance said: ‘BCP Council, like all local authorities across England, faces an unprecedented, ongoing financial crisis and the latest government settlement does not address this.
‘As a result of this severe financial pressure, the council must use all levers at its disposal to raise funds to protect essential services important to our residents.
‘Beach huts on Mudeford Spit often sell for between £400,000 and £575,000 – more than the £313,000 average price, according to the Office for National Statistics, of a home in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, yet historically, owners have been given discounts on Council Tax.
‘And, while we welcome all those who want to enjoy our beautiful coastline, we must recognise that this brings extra demand for services such as beach cleaning and flood protection – the cost of which is mostly borne by our residents.
‘This change delivers fairness and consistency for all owners of second homes in the area.
‘We understand this change may be disappointing for some owners, but it is important to apply Council Tax policy consistently and fairly across the BCP area.’
