At 6am on the beach in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, Angela Brier-Stephenson once led a small group of about 10 people in a free yoga session. The class lasted 45 minutes, and participants paid what they could afford. However, Thanet Council required her to pay £1,200 annually as part of its seasonal licensing scheme, which she could not afford. As a result, she has not run the class for the past two summers. This situation is not unique to her. A new report by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life, titled Banned from the Beach: the Crackdown on Outdoor Community Sport, reveals that councils across England and Wales are imposing hundreds of pounds in fees, extensive paperwork, and first-aid certifications on individuals who run small, free, or donation-based exercise classes in public spaces such as parks and beaches. The report highlights how licensing schemes originally designed for commercial personal trainers and bootcamp providers in the early 2000s have expanded to include even small community gatherings. These include classes like qigong for seven people or a mother-and-baby choir. In response to criticism, Thanet Council has reduced the fee for fitness activities to £300 for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, in Bristol, Julia Turner is challenging a £100 fee for running her £8-a-session “BYOB” (Bring Your Own Baby) choir for new mothers. She argues that the parks where she holds classes lack proper facilities and that the fees seem unjustified. Turner has even staged a flash-mob demonstration inside City Hall to protest the charges. Similarly, Chloe Broomby in Bristol has had to stop her weekly donation-based qigong classes on the Downs due to the fees. “I don’t make much money; some weeks I only had seven people turning up,” she said. “It really was for the joy of it.” Ailie Tam, who taught community yoga in St George Park for six years, also stopped her classes after fees were introduced, despite running them at a loss when only one or two people attended. These individuals argue that the fees are not proportional to the income generated by their classes and that they are being unfairly targeted. Bristol City Council maintains that its licensing scheme includes discounted rates for small businesses and charities and that the fees help ensure safety and proper insurance for activities in public spaces. The surplus from these fees is reinvested into maintaining and improving the city’s parks. However, campaigners argue that the fees are often far higher than the cost of administering the schemes and do not reflect the actual financial impact of the classes. The report found that 19 councils across England and Wales apply similar licensing rules to free or donation-based outdoor exercise classes, using a variety of legal tools, including Victorian park bylaws. In some areas, running an unlicensed class is even considered a criminal offense.