Furious beach hut owners have said they are being forced to sell their seaside structures after a local council doubled their rent to match that of rich out-of-towners.
Locals of Hayling Island in Hampshire accused the local authority of having a preconception that they must be ‘really rich’ for owning the wooden sheds and so can afford the huge price increase.
But, the owners said the majority of them have inherited the huts or have owned them for a long time and now may be forced to sell up to avoid the high costs.
Local couple Jayne Dalley and her husband Robert bought their hut with friends in 2009 and said the hike ‘came out of nowhere’.
She said: ‘A lot of people have had them a long time, a lot of people have inherited them. It doesn’t mean to say we are rich.
The 68-year-old said the beach huts are one of a few services to face such a significant increase under the new budget, which was decided on in February.
‘To own a dangerous animal is only about £400, but to have a beach hut it’s going to be £1,000 a year,’ she added.
Havant Borough Council said the reason for the hike was to match the licence fee paid by residents to the one non-residents are charged.
Left to right: Mick Gossage, Jayne Dalley, James Dalley at their beach hut on West Beach, Hayling Island
Bobby Clayton, right, bought her hut in 2019 and said the council’s decision to up the rates is ‘disgustingly rude’. Pictured: Ms Clayton and Lynne Parr
Locals of Hayling Island in Hampshire accused the local authority of having a preconception that they must be ‘really rich’ for owning the wooden sheds and so can afford the huge price increase
The local authority for the south coast island between Portsmouth and Chichester increased the cost to hold a structure on the beach from £600 to over £1,000.
This increase only applied to those who live locally, as the fee for ‘non-resident’ hut-owners from out of town only went up by 1.7 per cent.
Although they own the huts, they often have to pay site rent or a licence fee.
One local said it is now cheaper to own a dangerous animal than it is to own a beach hut.
Earlier this week, Mrs Dalley opened a letter from Havant Borough Council which said she is now expected to pay an annual fee of £1,036 – a 50 per cent increase on what they paid last year.
She said the move was ‘out of the blue’.
‘It’s been a real shock that it’s gone up that much,’ the 68-year-old retired business owner said.
‘I don’t understand the reasoning – we get nothing for that money. We have to pay for all the maintenance on the huts, we pay for parking.
‘We don’t know if they just think because we have got a beach hut we’re really rich. Hayling Island is one of the cheapest places to buy a beach hut.
Cheryl Arnold, 67, right has owned her hut for four years and said it was a ‘hell of a hike’ and that it was ‘pretty shocking’.
‘A lot of people have had them a long time, a lot of people have inherited them. It doesn’t mean to say we are rich.’
The 68-year-old said the beach huts are one of a few services to face such a significant increase under the new budget, which was decided on in February.
‘To own a dangerous animal is only about £400, but to have a beach hut it’s going to be £1,000 a year,’ she added.
The Waterlooville resident referred to beach huts in Mudeford and Bournemouth, both in Dorset, which can cost over £400,000.
She said the huts on Hayling Island are ‘not glamorous’, adding: ‘And there’s nothing the council provides but the basic facilities they provide on any beach. Maybe they want us to get rid of them, I don’t know.
‘I have got photos of my parents at the beach huts in the 50s, they have been here a long time. And, they do bring money into the council.’
She now predicts there will be a wave of people deciding that ‘enough is enough’ and decide to sell up.
Bobby Clayton, 75, bought her hut in 2019 and said the council’s decision to up the rates is ‘disgustingly rude’.
Havant Borough Council said the reason for the hike was to match the fee paid by licence fee between residents and non-residents of the borough
She now predicts there will be a wave of people deciding that ‘enough is enough’ and decide to sell up. Picture: Stock image
‘It’s absolutely disgraceful,’ she said of the decision.
‘We can’t sell them now because nobody wants them with that increase.
‘I don’t know if they want to get them back off of us so they can let them out… It’s really upsetting.’
Ms Clayton, a retired hairdresser and tea-shop owner, said they get ‘nothing’ for the money they already pay.
Cheryl Arnold, 67, has owned her hut for four years and said it was a ‘hell of a hike’ and that it was ‘pretty shocking’.
Adding: ‘We had expected some sort of increase, but certainly not more or less 50 per cent.’
Mick Gossage, 61, shares his hut with Mrs Dalley, said there is no justification why it’s going up: ‘To do this after people have been paying this licence fee for years, there will be people who say they won’t be able to afford it and so will have to hand over their beach hut.
‘It seems completely unreasonable to put something up by 50 per cent.
‘It’s almost like they wanted to drive the people from Hayling away.’
In response, Havant Borough Council said: ‘The council has increased the licence fee for Havant Borough residents of privately owned and council-owned beach huts by 50 per cent this financial year’
Mr Gossage referred to the huts on West Wittering beach in West Sussex, which can sell for over £100,000.
He said they only have to pay a fee of around £500 and get ‘far more’ for their money, such as annual parking.
‘It doesn’t seem to compute, whatever way you look at it,’ Mr Gossage added.
In response, Havant Borough Council said: ‘The council has increased the licence fee for Havant Borough residents of privately owned and council-owned beach huts by 50 per cent this financial year.
‘The aim is to move towards greater alignment of the beach hut licence fee between residents and non-residents of the borough.
‘The charges apply from Tuesday 1 April 2025, and our customers can pay by monthly direct debit over six months.’
