Sign the petition here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32781?dm_i=WP7,RZ5X,4I2LEN,29Q85,1

See the BBC report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17769636?dm_i=WP7,S01T,4I2LEN,29SNM,1

We ask for your support for the Caravan Industry over the decision made, without any Industry consultation whatsoever, to put VAT onto the sale of holiday caravans. 

It is very clear that the Government has no idea of the size of the Caravan Holiday Home Industry and its supply chain of businesses that will be affected should this increase take effect.  It is also clear that it has no idea of what caravan holiday homes actually are!  Unlike touring caravans, caravan holiday homes are second homes, just like their bricks and mortar counterparts of cottages and lodges are.  They don’t move, they aren’t towed behind a car.    They are sited on a holiday park with all services and used just as a cottage in the Lakes or Cotswolds would be by families as a second home.

A forecast is given that ‘a fall in demand of about 30% if the VAT is passed onto the customer’.  Despite this, HMRC, states the ‘overall macroeconomic impacts are expected to be negligible’.  HMRC anticipates ‘up to around 750 manufacturers, retailers and holiday parks selling static caravans will be affected by this measure’.  Just to prove how ‘out of touch’ HMRC is, just one of the Industry associations, British Holiday & Home Park Association, shows their members manage 1,156 businesses selling holiday caravans onto 1,627 parks.  Since BH&HPA membership comprises only 75% of the Industry total, this would imply the measure would impact over 1,500 holiday park businesses with over 2,150 holiday parks selling holiday caravans across the UK.  In addition, jobs within some 500 BRITISH businesses in the Industry’s supply chain would also be jeopardised by the measure, for example distributors, manufacturers of supply parts, etc., when sales come to a screeching halt with the prices becoming not affordable to so many of the potential buyers.

Regarding the local communities of the holiday parks that would be affected, independent economic research shows the direct and indirect spend for each 15 holiday caravan pitches supports one Full time Employment Equivalent job.  There is direct employment on the parks in addition to jobs and businesses sustained indirectly by parks and parks’ customer spend.  Rural and coastal businesses are often sustained by the parks and their customers; local pubs, plumbers, restaurants, tourist attractions, village shops, etc.  If you follow the research through, that means that one full time job will be lost for every 15 vacant, unsold holiday caravans.

This Government is supposed to be trying to make it easier for businesses to invest and create jobs to stimulate the economy.   This is not one of the ways to do it!   It is hard enough to generate sales in the current economy and keep parks running stimulating local businesses without adding 20% across the board to the cost of the product.   It will put a good many of our customers out of our marketplace.  It is also just plain unfair to lob VAT on caravan holiday homes which are second homes to families vs other forms of second homes made from bricks, stone, wood, or other materials which do not attract  VAT.  Whatever the Government projects it may receive from applying VAT to holiday caravans surely cannot justify the strain it will put on an already struggling industry and its supply chain.

Please sign the e-petition to help STOP 20% VATon the sale of caravan holiday homes!

Thank you.

From left to right, Sunset Park’s David Mooney, Sales Director, Michael Taylor, Chariman, Christine Mooney, Park Manager and Sandy Taylor, Director.

It was a double celebration for Sunset Park of Hambleton, Lancashire as Chairman Michael Taylor received his National Caravan Council Award for 40 years of service to the Caravan Industry and Sunset Park Manager, Christine Mooney received her award for 25 years service.  The awards were presented at the NCC Conference at Harrogate.  Chris was also presented with a watch from Sunset Park for her 25 years of loyal service to the company.

Completing a second double, they are joined in the picture by Chris’ husband, David and Michael’s wife, Sandy, both Directors of the company.  Between them all, they have over 128 years of experience in the Caravan Industry!

Already a multi award winning park, Sunset Park is the winner of the Lancashire & Blackpool Tourism Award for the category “Caravan Holiday Park & Holiday Village 2011/12 “.  Sunset has been put forward by the Tourist Board and has now been made one of only five finalists to compete in the same category for the VisitEngland, “England for Excellence Awards”.  Sunset was a Silver Winner of the England Award in 2008.  They have also won the 2010 BIBAs ‘Green Business of the Year’.

Already a multiple award winning park, the team at Sunset Park have created an environment that has enhanced features of nature such as well stocked and managed lakes with grass surrounds that attract wildlife, modern well insulated caravan holiday homes in attractive layouts with all services underground, surrounded by the results their ongoing landscape and planting scheme of hundreds of trees and shrubs offering both screening, wildlife inhabitants and visual pleasure.   Add to this their solar heating of the swimming pool and energy management programme and Sunset ticked all the boxes for the Bellamy Gold Award.
Sunset Park is also the current Gold winner of Lancashire & Blackpool Tourism’s  “Caravan Holiday Park/Holiday Village Award 2011/12”.Lifestyle is what it is all about at Sunset Park. Creating an aesthetically pleasing blend of man and nature for holiday makers to enjoy a quality of life with nature at their doorstep is what Sunset does well!  The emphasis on quality in all that they do and offer makes the park stand out over their competitors and makes them winners.

As Chairman, Michael Taylor says, “Satisfied customers are the best form of marketing!  Our customers have quality at home. They want no less when they come to us. We reinvested in the good times improving our park & its facilities which is seeing us in good stead in the current climate.”

Sunset Park is a rural country park but offers enough family entertainment on the park to please customers without losing their ‘country qualities’. A scale steam locomotive, the Hambleton Rio Grande, is a unique attraction to visitors. Choose one of their quality homes set in peaceful, country surroundings with scenery to fit your every mood on your doorstep.

Everything you need to escape!

Pictured at the show on the Sunset stand are:  Sunset Park – Chris Mooney, Park Manager, David Mooney, Sales Diretor and Peter Nevitt, Managing Director of Victory Leisure Homes.

Sunset Park wins Gold again in the North West in Bloom 2011 “Best Caravan Park” Category.   John, Chris and Dave receive the Gold Award at the ceremony at Southport.

“Caravan Holiday Park and Holiday Village of the Year 2011/12″.