“We want to put pressure on the city council to consult the sector the next time the question of higher taxes comes up,” said Patrick De Bouw, local representative of Ho.Re.Ca Vlaanderen, the industry organisation. “Normally we have good relations with the city, but our members were massively against this decision in a time of general difficulties. A spokesman for the city said the last tax increase dates back to 2003, and called the latest measure “very reasonable”.

Meanwhile in Knokke, a dispute between local café owners and operators who rent out beach chairs went against the industry when a court in Bruges refused to issue an injunction against the beach-chair businesses selling drinks. Up and down the coast, the increasing tendency for beach operators to sell drinks to customers has run up against protest from the catering industry, which considers it an attack on their businesses. Cafes and restaurants, the industry points out, are required to adhere to health and hygiene regulations which do not apply to the beach operators, who also don’t have the overheads of premises, staff and other costs.

In particular, the industry and the city’s planning inspectors object to the beach operators installing wooden decks to act as beach terraces in competition with the permanent cafes on the seafront. The Bruges court refused to suspend their operations with an injunction, but the main case still has to be resolved at a full hearing some time later