Owner of pedalo agency accuses Rachel Reeves pink tape and tax hikes of killing his household’s 50-year-old enterprise
The owner of firm that rents pedalos to holidaymakers has blamed Rachel Reeves‘ tax hikes for the closure of his family’s 50-year-old business.
Sam Jones said he can no longer afford to operate the seasonal service on Weymouth Beach in Dorset following two successive Labour budgets.
The businessman says additional changes brought about by the Chancellor’s budgets have tipped his firm over the edge, as he points to soaring costs and a lack of expected financial return.
Until last summer tourists were charged £3.50 per person for a 30 minute pedal in Weymouth Bay.
Mr Jones also took issue with the excessive fees required to train seasonal workers.
He said he had to pay £1,000 for one member of staff to take mandatory courses to ensure they are fully compliant in operating a safety boat.
Along with the pedalos, Mr Jones said he will also have to let go of a row of beach chalets his company hired out to the public.
Mr Jones described the decision as ‘difficult and emotional’.
Sam Jones said he can no longer afford to operate the seasonal service on Weymouth Beach in Dorset following two successive Labour budgets. Pedalos are pictured lined up on the beach at the seaside resort of Weymouth in Dorset
Until last summer tourists were charged £3.50 per person for a 30 minute pedal in Weymouth Bay
Officials said they will now consider options for other ‘income generation’ ideas for the seafront
He said: ‘Our family has been part of Weymouth Beach life since the early 1960s, starting with my grandfather, David Jones.
‘We are immensely proud of the role the business has played over three generations.
‘This decision reflects the reality that operating a seasonal leisure business today is very different to when this all began.
‘The overall environment has changed significantly, particularly in terms of costs, regulation and risk.
‘In recent years we have seen substantial increases in operating costs across the board.
‘Staffing costs in particular have risen sharply due to successive increases in the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance contributions.
‘In some areas, staffing costs have effectively tripled over time. It is therefore difficult to pass these rapidly increasing costs on through the hire charges paid by the public.’
Mr Jones went on to say health and safety requirements had ‘increased significantly’ over the past 10 years.
Holidaymakers are pictured on a pedalo having fun at the seaside resort of Weymouth in Dorset
He added: ‘Due to the highly seasonal nature of the business, many of these staff (that require training) leave at the end of each season, meaning these training costs have to be absorbed repeatedly with little opportunity to realise a long-term return.
‘Alongside staffing, other costs such as insurance, maintenance, compliance obligations and general inflation have all continued to rise.
‘We have also reached a point where further investment would once again be required to maintain the high standards that we and the public expect.
‘On this occasion, however, it was clear that the level of investment needed could not be justified by any realistic return, given the current operating conditions and limited seasonal window.
‘The decision to close the business was therefore taken after careful consideration of its long-term viability.’
The Jones’ family held a lease to operate the pedalos until 2029 but they have reached an agreement with Weymouth Town Council to surrender.
Officials said they will now consider options for other ‘income generation’ ideas for the seafront.
Councillor David Harris, leader of Weymouth Town Council, said: ‘It is very sad that this traditional, family-run business will not be returning to Weymouth Beach for the 2026 season, and we appreciate this has not been an easy decision for the owners to make.
The Jones’ family held a lease to operate the pedalos until 2029 but they have reached an agreement with Weymouth Town Council to surrender
‘The request to surrender the lease by the Jones family was considered by the Finance and Governance Committee when councillors agreed to an early end of the current lease.
‘The committee also agreed that other income generation ideas could be developed in conjunction with partners and businesses, and any suitable ideas would be brought back to a future meeting of the Environment and Services Committee to consider.’
The decision to close the business comes after hundreds of pubs and restaurants across the country banned all Labour MPs from their premises in protest at rising business costs.
