Littlehampton beach hut tenant swamped by council idiocy

At the beginning of each year we would receive notification of the charge, a choice of paying by instalment or lump sum and a request to notify the council if we no longer wanted the hut.

This year I received a 21-page document in duplicate advising me that a business rate of £500 is payable in addition to the annual rent.

It is not permitted to conduct a business from the huts. This had to be signed and witnessed before returning both copies. One copy was then returned to me.

Today I have received another 21-page document giving the business rate individually for each of the 114 huts. (They are all the same, £500).

I have been told that I can claim return of the business rate (since I am not a business) but not yet how to do this. Another 21 page document?

Have the council nothing better to do? Would not the cost of all this be better spent on keeping the toilets open?

In another extraordinary calculation my hut, which is 16th from the western end is now number 30, beautifully labelled front and back by the council. Apparently each block, no matter how long, has to begin with a multiple of ten. This means many numbers do not appear at all.

How have we managed for the past 70 years without all this idiocy? 

M Lees

Granville Road

Littlehampton

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LittlehamptonGazette

3) Follow us on Twitter @LhamptonGazette

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Littlehampton Gazette - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.