A GROUP of west Cumbrian chalet owners have suggested their 'way of life' is threatened - after the removal of their 50 per cent council tax discount.

Chalet owners at Allonby - many of whose families have had a presence on Foster’s and Meeting House Field since the Second World War - are hoping that Cumberland Council are able to 'come to their rescue'.

If not, they claim that an 'integral part of the history and heritage of the Solway Coast at Allonby could very soon be destroyed'.

A Cumbrian chalet owners' campaign group has been established in response to a 50 per cent council tax discount that has been in place for 30 years being removed, from April 1, by the newly-formed Cumberland Council.

Christina Timney, chairperson of the campaign group, who lives in Workington, said: “This legislation is supposed to target second homeowners who are contributing to increasing property prices beyond the affordability of local families and abusing tax loopholes by claiming holiday lets to avoid paying their fair share towards local services.

"None of which applies to us.”

Another chalet owner, Judith Cox, whose Cumbrian family have owned a chalet on Meeting House Field for almost 75 years said: “Our chalet was built by my father, in sections in the back garden of our council house at Salterbeck in the winter of 1949.

"It was then taken in sections on the back of a flatbed lorry and erected on what is now Meeting House Field.

“The first time we stayed overnight was Easter 1950 when I was five and my sister was three. We had a coal fire and an outside toilet. We went in the sea every day which counted as our bath.

"One of the attractions for my parents was the lovely seaside, grass, sand, and sea after the unattractive shores of Harrington and Salterbeck which were all slag and rocks.”

Mark Blacklock from Maryport, whose father built their 'weekend chalet' on Foster’s Field in the early 1960s, and has a whole lifetime of memories and friendships made there, said: “Our holiday chalets are not a second homes, they are an established way of life.

"The increase in council tax, especially if it is doubled next year, will have a disastrous impact upon the chalet owners and upon the wider community of Allonby.

"Many owners will not be able to afford this increase alongside our ground-rent, insurance, and maintenance costs.

"The implications are that some owners will not be able to sell either.

"Inevitably many chalets may end up being abandoned and destroyed, at the same time ending generations of family traditions and erasing an integral part of Allonby’s history and heritage.”

Christina Timney said the campaign group are asking Cumberland Council to seek a solution to the problem. She said: “We are hopeful that Cumberland Council have the discretionary powers to reinstate the historical 50 per cent discount for chalets and legislate for us to be exempt from the increased council tax charge in respect of second home ownership from April 2024.”

The group said it is consulting with Historic England about the heritage aspects of their campaign.

The campaign group has written to Lady Baroness Scott of Bybrook who is the House of Lords and met with Cllr Barbara Cannon on May 3 to discuss the issue and have requested the council review its decision.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “We appreciate the change has caused concern for a small number of property owners in Allonby and have offered to meet the chalet owners to discuss the issue and see what advice we can give, within the framework of the law.

“We have recently harmonised the discounts available to those living in second homes, making them fair and equitable across our council area.

"The valuations office (not the council) decides how properties are classified, then we apply any appropriate discounts.”