Class War comes to the Gower

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Originally uploaded by zippy
Its always nice when the national papers manage to report on a story just near you, rather than wander no further than London.

Our nearest beach, Langland, has always had beach huts and these were always very fairly provided by a ballot that was open to any local taxpayer. You got them for a three month period and then if you wanted them again, you had to put your name into the ballot.

In an effort to reduce their budget deficit, the council has decided to decided to offer 25% of the 80 huts out on a 10 year lease for a £10,000 payment. While this nets the council an immediate £200,000 sum, it means that what used to be a resource that was open to all, becomes something that is only available to those with a spare £10,000.

The council has said that the money will be spent renovating the huts, but has been vague on whether it is all the huts or just those who have spent £10,000.

The biggest shame is that the only people who can really afford the money are the people who live closest to the beach, those who live in Langlands and the Mumbles. Although I should point out, not all of us who live in the Mumbles have a spare £10,000 to spend.

The Observer has the full story called Class Row over beach huts where Dylan Thomas kissed