East Lindsey District Council has said its changes will be beneficial to taxpayers
Caravan owners near Skegness “days away” from taking East Lindsey District council to court
A long running fight between East Lindsey District Council and caravan owners on Skegness Kingfisher Caravan Park is still going on after the council brought in new rules.
According to the caravan owners on Kingfisher Caravan Park in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, they have tried everything to get the council to see sense, and now it looks like court action is just days away.
East Lindsey District Council who owns Kingfisher Caravan Park announced in 2019 that they would be bringing in new rules where caravans over 15 years of age would have to leave the site at the end of 2021.
Some new owners claim when they bought their pre-owned caravan after the announcement was made were not made aware of the new rules. Which meant, they had bought a caravan with their life savings that could only stay on the park for a few years.
Caravan owners on Kingfisher Caravan Park have accused the council of destroying what was a lovely park.
The council backtracked on their rule and tried to make a compromise where they offered a five, one-year extention. This was on the basis of an annual inspection of the caravan.
A council meeting on Wednesday 22nd September resulted in vote to change the olive branch from a five, one-year extention to a ten, one-year extension.
Some of those fighting for the right to have their caravan stay on the Ingoldmells caravan park attended the meeting to show how shocked they were with the way they have been treated.
One of the caravan owners who attended the council meeting said it was a “public hanging for Kingfisher Caravan Park.”
Stuart Allen who has been fighting the council tooth and nail for the right to stay and for the rules to be changed, said they were now days away from taking the council to court.
Councillor Craig Leyland, the leader of East Lindsey District Council, said of the offer to make it a ten-one-year extention: “I think this is a sensible decision to take and it’s all about the standard of the caravans that remain on the site.
“We’ve always, I thought, been more concerned not about the age but about the condition and about the aesthetic view of the site, so I think this is a sensible decision.”
After the vote went ahead to agree to the new rule, one of the protestors who was not happy with the decision shouted that this is the beginning and not the end.
Lincolnshire News & Lifestyle has bee following the fight from the beginning. During this time, we have had many of the Caravan owners contact ourselves to share at their disgust
One caravan owner said they were shocked to be treated in such a way by the council. They explained that the council are supposed to be there to protect people and provide a service, not to act like some of the rouge caravan parks who try and kick people off for financial gain.
The fight between the council and the caravan owners has seen East Lindsey District Council lose money. There are currently around 330 empty plots on the Skegness Kingfisher Caravan Park. These plots could be providing important income.
It is not just the empty caravan plots that is costing the council. It is also the fight between the caravan owners that is causing a financial drain on their coffers. If legal action does go ahead then this would be more money wasted by East Lindsey Council which will in-turn be passed on to council taxpayers.
From the start of the fight until yesterday, we have spoken to many local business owners who are angry about the actions of East Lindsey District Council. Many believe the council is bringing bad publicity to Skegness which could seriously affect tourism numbers.
Holidaymakers we have spoken to have said they would be put off from buying a caravan, not only on Kingfisher Caravan Park but on any caravan park in Skegness.
East Lindsey District Council says that the changes being made at Kingfisher Caravan Park are about ensuring the long-term commercial sustainability of the site and that any short-term impact will be offset by long-term gain.
The view by the caravan owners on Kingfisher Caravan Park is the council have gone mad. They feel they are not respected and being treated like second class citizens.