Visitors, residents and businesses will have the chance to give their views on a visitor levy for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute, following a decision today by Council to run a three month consultation exercise.
A report to Council highlights that visitors in the area need services that local people also use. With more than 30 times more visitors to ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute than there are residents, this affects the wear and tear on local services, from roads to waste to leisure and other services.
Many of these services are not a statutory duty of a council to deliver and so are at risk from shrinking council budgets.
National visitor levy legislation allows areas to introduce a charge for people making overnight stays in hotels and other short-term accommodation, to sustain local services needed by the visitor economy, and keep an area competitive as a visitor destination.
Estimates indicate that a 5% visitor levy could raise a gross amount of around £9 million a year for services and infrastructure supporting ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute’s visitor economy.
What services would people want income from a levy to be spent on, if one was introduced? What support would tourism businesses like with managing a levy? How much should a levy be? For anyone against a levy, how else would they see the visitor economy being funded in future?
These are some of the questions on which views will be invited over between January and April next year.
Councillor Jim Lynch, Leader of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ said:
“We have agreed a consultation as a way of assessing a levy for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute together with our communities.
The visitor economy is a key industry for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute and we want to keep it that way. We have to face the reality that services used by visitors and shared with residents are under threat from shrinking public budgets. The national visitor levy legislation is an option for investment specifically in the visitor economy, to benefit visitors, residents and the area as a competitive visitor destination.
We have listened to views already given, and have included questions on support for businesses who would be involved if a levy was introduced, and on what services people would want levy income to be spent on.
The levy legislation is an opportunity for investment in the visitor economy that other business sectors do not have. Areas around ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute are considering a levy to help them keep attracting visitors. We want people in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute to have that chance as well, to assess a levy for our area.
I would encourage everyone to find out more about a visitor levy and take the chance to give your views between January and April next year.â€
For more information on a visitor levy, visit
The consultation exercise will run for 12 weeks, and is expected to start by mid January. It will be promoted in different ways including through digital and face-to-face channels, as well as through printed information.