English mayors have urged the Government to allow councils to introduce visitor levies to boost regional economies, tourism and infrastructure.

In a letter signed by a coalition of English mayors, spearheaded by Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, the group argued that tourism taxes would help ‘empower local places’ by contributing to the growth of transport and cultural infrastructure.

The statement was backed by the mayors of Greater Manchester, London, the North East, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, and outlined the need for sustainable solutions to budget gaps and financial pressures faced by local authorities.

Although the introduction of tourism taxes is not currently legal in England, the group argued that ‘English regions risk being left behind’ as Wales and Edinburgh progress with visitor levies of their own.

Highlighting the ‘thriving’ visitor economies of each mayoral region, the letter reinforced the importance of the tourism sector, which sustains almost 12% of the economy in London, and supports over 58,000 jobs in the Liverpool City Region.

The statement also revealed that the introduction of a visitor levy in Liverpool could generate nearly £11m each year based on calculations derived from Edinburgh’s model.

The coalition of mayors emphasised the importance of reinvesting in local and regional economies and proposed the development of pilot levy models that ‘reflect the specific needs and ambitions of each place’.

Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: ‘A small charge on overnight stays – the kind most of us wouldn’t think twice about when travelling abroad – would give us the power to reinvest directly into the things that make our area so special.’