Beach huts in Brighton and Hove could be set to become more expensive

Proposals going before the tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee include putting up the license fee for beach huts and charging a transfer fee when huts are sold.

There are 459 privately-owned wooden beach huts on Hove seafront.

A licence to place the hut on Brighton and Hove City Council land is currently £457.82.

Next Thursday, the committee is being asked to increase the fee by five per cent to £480.71.

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Beach huts can only be sold to Brighton and Hove residents once they have been owned for three years. A report said that huts were currently sold for between £29,000 and 36,500.

The council currently charges an administration fee of £82 but the committee is being asked to approve a transfer fee of 10 per cent of the sale price. At current prices this could raise up to £3,600.

Rental charges for council-owned brick-built beach chalets are also proposed to increase by 10 per cent.

Charges vary depending on the services available. Hove chalets have electricity and water. In other areas, such as Rottingdean and Saltdean, there is access to a communal tap.

Beach huts in Hove could soon be more expensive

Hove chalet rents are proposed to rise from £1,521.20 a year to £1,673.32. Rottingdean and Saltdean chalet rents would increase from £889.60 to £978.56.

A tiered hire rate is proposed for the seafront bandstand for weddings and other ceremonies.

Reduced rates are proposed for off-peak days, at £600 for one of two two-hour slots. Fridays and Saturdays would have a premium rate of £790, and a bank holiday rate of £850 is also proposed.

The report said: “If successful, this will increase revenue to the council, although it is not possible to forecast what the uplift in income is likely to be.

“As the hire fees are already high compared with any other seafront facilities, a 10 per cent increase may have the adverse effect of driving business away.

“However, it is hoped that introducing the off-peak rate will encourage couples who may be concerned by the higher price to switch the day rather than choosing an alternative cheaper venue.”

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The report said: “Fees and charges are considered to be an important source of income in enabling services to be sustained and provided.

“A wide range of services are funded or part funded by fees and charges including those detailed in this report.

“The overall budget strategy aims to ensure that fees and charges are maintained or increased as a proportion of gross expenditure through identifying income-generating opportunities, ensuring that charges for discretionary services and trading accounts cover costs, and ensuring that fees and charges keep pace with price inflation and/or competitor and comparator rates.”

The council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Thursday 12 January. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.