Council first to impose parkrun charge

A parish council near Bristol has come under fire today after announcing it would be the first in the world to charge runners to use its Little Stoke park.

Stoke Gifford parish council said it was introducing the charge to those taking part in parkrun to help cover the cost of maintaining paths throughout the park.

It said it was unfair on local residents to pay for the upkeep themselves, given the fact parkrun was an organised event with paid directors and sponsors.

A statement from the council said: ‘Parkrun are an organised group and like any other group using the facilities should contribute towards the maintenance.

‘The parish council has only recently paid out £55,000 from public funds for resurfacing the car park and with the additional 300+ runners per week, will shortly need to replace / repair the path at an estimated cost of £60,000, so as Parkrun are significant users of the path on a regular basis they should contribute towards the upkeep.’