Pitch Fees - why are we getting any increase?

I just want to explain this properly, so it’s getting its own post.

A lot of people have asked why we’re getting any pitch‑fee increase this year, especially when it feels like Regency are making cuts. And thank you to everyone who’s thanked us for getting the increase down by 1% - but I know many are still wondering why there’s an increase at all.

Here’s the simple version.

Every park‑home site in the country is allowed, by law, to raise the pitch fee once a year by the inflation rate. They don’t have to justify it - the law gives them that right automatically.

We, as residents, can challenge the increase once a year, but the rules are very strict. To win a challenge, we would have to prove there has been long‑term deterioration between April 2025 and April 2026. That means showing clear evidence that the site has noticeably declined over that specific 12‑month period.

At the moment, we simply don’t have that evidence. The recent issues people have raised - office closures, changes to grounds staff, etc. - have only just started, so they don’t fall within that April‑to‑April period. And even now, there hasn’t been a big enough change that a tribunal would class as “long‑term deterioration.”

It’s also important to say this:

There is no direct link between the company cutting its own costs and our pitch fee. They are allowed to run their business however they choose. Just because they save money on their side, it doesn’t mean those savings have to be passed on to us. The only influence residents have is proving that their changes have caused long‑term deterioration - and we are not at a point where that can be measured yet.

That’s why going to tribunal this year would almost certainly fail.

Instead, we spent several weeks negotiating with Regency. We pushed hard on the one area we felt a court might listen to (gas changeover), and we secured a package of measures along with a reduction. Because we negotiated directly, we managed to get the increase down from 3% to 2% - which is roughly a 33% reduction. In all honesty, that is more than a court would likely have awarded this year.

Looking ahead, the important thing now is to monitor the site carefully and gather evidence over the coming year. If, by the time the 2027 pitch‑fee review comes around, we can show clear, long‑term deterioration, then we will be in a strong position to challenge it properly.

I hope that makes things clearer, but any questions feel free.