Council leaders representing the historic cities of Bath and Cambridge have jointly called for the power to introduce a ‘modest’ visitor levy.
The leaders of Bath & North East Somerset Council and Cambridge City Council have written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner calling for a roundtable on how to support sustainable tourism in heritage cities.
They said it was ‘necessary and prudent’ to have a conversation about how the benefits of mass tourism can be ‘concentrated most strongly in the places which support this crucial industry.’
One of the key policies the council leaders would like to see discussed at the roundtable is a tourist levy associated with overnight stays.
Cllr Kevin Guy, leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: ‘Having the sort of powers now being introduced in Scotland and Wales would allow us to reinvest directly into the services and infrastructure that make these visits possible. Any levy should apply fairly across all types of accommodation, including short-term lets such as Airbnb.’
Cllr Cameron Holloway, leader of Cambridge City Council, added: ‘Scotland and Wales have these powers now, as do many cities in Europe. We were disappointed not to see anything from Government in the Devolution Bill to provide similar powers in England, as we want Cambridge to have the same.’
