Lancaster caravan park boss calls on Labour conference to ‘urgently reconsider’ inheritance tax changes and save jobs

Cockerham’s Moss Wood owner Henry Wild says that Lancashire holiday parks such as his could be forced to sell up in order to meet the tax demands – resulting in the loss of jobs and tourism income for the region.

Labour's Liverpool conference, he said, would be a perfect opportunity for MPs to examine a recent report by CBI Economics.

It showed that the impact of inheritance tax changes on the parks industry will cost the economy more than £130m and lead to 3,000 job losses.

The survey was commissioned by the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) of which Henry is a former national chairman.

The report also reveals that many UK camping and holiday parks are already being severely impacted by Government changes to business inheritance tax rules.

With an uncertain future ahead of them, said Henry, they are putting the brakes on future plans which in some cases might mean cutting back on recruitment and investment.

Just as worrying, he says, are the CBI's findings that almost one quarter of parks are considering selling up their businesses, or closing them down permanently.

"It is vital the Government uses its conference to re-examine the business case for this change and considers the true economic impact it will have," said Henry.

"Large numbers of parks are already reconsidering their futures despite offering a popular, much-loved and sustainable way for people to enjoy a UK holiday.

"As a former helicopter pilot, I was always taught never to fly into a fog – but that's exactly what I would be doing now by planning a way ahead for our park without sight of the horizon.

"Parks contribute so much to the social and economic wellbeing of local communities and it would be a tragedy if they were forced to close as an unintended consequence of this change."