Despite a passionate campaign by hundreds of Illawarra fitness fanatics, their trainers look set to be hit with fee increases of up to 50 per cent when Wollongong City Council adopts its 2013-14 budget next week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In a report to Monday's meeting, council staff have recommended that increases in personal trainers' fees to use council parks go ahead despite more than 600 community objections to the proposal, made in the council's draft strategic management plan and budget released in April.
Should councillors vote to endorse the recommendations, it will mean some companies training large groups in parks near the city's beaches will have to cough up $5000 a year from July 1.
Trainers in the city's central suburbs, like Wollongong, Gwynneville and Fairy Meadow, will have to pay up to $4613 a year, while fitness groups in other suburbs will pay between $1063 and $3080 depending on the number of people they train.
During the budget's public exhibition period, the council received 47 submissions and a petition of 575 signatures objecting to the increases, while three people voiced their support for the increase.
Many residents who disagreed with the fee increase argued that a rise of between 30 and 48 per cent for fitness trainers was "unfair" when most other council fees would rise between 3 and 5 per cent on July 1.
Others said the hike was at odds with the council's plan to increase residents' health and lifestyle opportunities and could result in some training businesses closing.
In recommending the fee hike go ahead, council staff said there had been an increased demand on council resources to administer and manage commercial fitness training licences.
"The amount of the proposed increase for this commercial activity is considered to be reasonable, ranging from 15¢ per day for small single client operators to $12 per day for large operators using high-profile community sites," the report said.
"In comparison, the cost for a not-for-profit sporting group such as senior football to conduct an outdoor training session is $16 per hour per field [which is] significantly greater than the proposed fee for outdoor commercial fitness training operators at $5-$35 per session."
Kickstart Fitness trainer Peter Gollop has been leading the campaign against the rise and he was disappointed but not surprised the increase would proceed.
"The council needs money and they need to put the prices up on everything to make that money, but in the end it's going to affect a lot of trainers," he said.
"It's going to cause price rises for most trainers and that just means everything will get more expensive for people of the Illawarra."
However, Mr Gollop said the fight against fee rises was not over and expected residents to fill the public gallery on Monday night.
"I know there are some councillors who disagree [with the increase] and I know there'll be a huge showing of personal trainers and clients at the meeting," he said.
"This is a last-ditch effort and you never know, maybe the council will still see reason."
