Further update regarding certain Council Owned Beach Huts

After receiving customer feedback Torbay Council has agreed to re-assess the process used for putting a value on beach huts ahead of disposal. Consequently, customers who rent certain Council beach huts, will be asked to make a fair offer for their current Council owned beach hut. Those customers affected will be advised in writing of how to make this offer. We apologise for any confusion or misunderstanding.

This statement applies to Council owned standard beach huts of timber construction and not privately owned beach huts.

4:30pm - 3 August 2018

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Please find below information about the recent letter that has been sent to those that rent a council owned beach hut. This letter is inviting those beach hut users the 'right to buy' their hut from the council.

We are constantly looking at how we deliver all our services, how we can improve them for residents along with making savings. This includes our beach hut service.

The change in this letter impacts those beach hut users who rent their hut from us. This equates to 16% of all huts and chalets across the Bay. The reason we are asking those customers to purchase them, if they would like to, is because this will deliver a saving as there will be a reduction in the amount we spend on maintenance. For our customers this means they will be paying the lower site only charge.

There has been questions raised about how we arrived at the price stated on customer’s letters. We took into consideration the general position, wear and tear, how they have been stored and the exposure they have received to extreme weather and vandalism. The quality of the build of the huts was also taken into consideration.

Following customer feedback we recognise that this decision needed more consultation with those who rent their huts from us. If you have received this letter and have any questions please contact the Beach Hut Team as they can provide additional information about this decision.

We are inviting customers to make reasonable offers on the price quoted for their beach hut. The team will also discuss how the wrap around services will work, such as winter storage, and how purchase payments can be spread across the winter season. Additionally the team can discuss their options if they do not wish to pursue purchasing their beach hut at this time.