Licensing Fees Undermine Free Outdoor Exercise Classes Across England and Wales

Councils in England and Wales are requiring organizers of free or donation-based outdoor fitness sessions to obtain licences and pay fees that many describe as prohibitive. In Thanet, Kent, yoga instructor Angela Brier-Stephenson was told she would need to pay £1,200 a year to continue a 45-minute beach yoga class for about ten participants. The fee forced her to suspend the class for two summers. Similar charges have been levied elsewhere: Bristol’s Julia Turner faces a £100 fee for a baby-care choir, while Swansea’s Helen Wilson was initially billed £24.15 per session for a long-running beach yoga series.

The Guardian

The licensing regime began in the early 2000s to regulate commercial personal trainers and boot-camps. Over time, councils have extended the rules to small community gatherings, applying a mix of events-licensing frameworks, commercial-trainer bylaws, and Victorian park regulations. A report titled *Banned from the Beach: the Crackdown on Outdoor Community Sport* by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life identifies 19 councils that now charge fees for free or donation-based classes.

The Guardian

Council spokespeople argue the fees ensure compliance with health- and safety standards, provide insurance coverage, and generate revenue for park maintenance. Richmond’s enforcement is handled by a private contractor, Parkguard, which issues fixed-penalty notices for unlicensed activities.

The Guardian

The financial burden has led several organizers to cease their sessions. Chloe Broomby stopped weekly donation-based qigong classes on the Downs after the fee made continuation impossible. Ailie Tam, who taught community yoga in St George Park for six years, halted her classes despite previously absorbing occasional losses. Julia Turner staged a flash-mob protest inside Bristol City Hall, warning that the fee could make her “too difficult to bother with.” In Swansea, a petition and public outcry prompted the council to withdraw the charge against Helen Wilson.

The Guardian

• “The fees bear no relation to any money these classes make and are frequently far larger than the cost of running the scheme.” — Josie Appleton, the director of the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life

The Guardian

• “I think they saw it as an opportunity to make money and if that jeopardised what I was offering, then so be it.” — Helen Wilson

The Guardian