Harrogate hoteliers want visitor levy cash 'to come back into the local visitor economy' says MP
Harrogate’s MP says any money raised by a controversial potential new ‘tourist tax’ in the district must be spent locally.
Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, made no bones about his views in a parliamentary debate on tourism levy.
"if money is raised locally,” said the Lib Dem MP, “it must be shaped locally, spent locally, and seen locally.”
The MP’s comments follow the Government’s decision to allow English mayors to impose nightly accommodation fees while Scotland and Wales have passed new visitor levy laws in recent months.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, the Harrogate MP said he supported the idea of a tourism levy in principle but highlighted the need for the real involvement of councils and communities in shaping tourism strategy rather than “passing the buck” to hamstrung regional mayors.
"If people can’t see where it goes, they won’t believe a word we say about why it’s being raised,” said Mr Gordon who fears the whole ideas is being driven by funding shortages, rather than a tourism strategy.
"Speaking to local hoteliers, it’s clear that if the money comes back into the local visitor economy, then they can make it work.
"But they’ve been promised reinvestment before.
"If we end up with yet another Labour-imposed tax, it needs to fund the tourism drivers like my long-standing campaign to dual the line between Knaresborough and York or the community campaign to get a restoration package for Knaresborough Castle.”
At the moment, North Yorkshire does not have a tourism levy but it is believed to be under active consideration following recent Government consultations.
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire is also exploring a visitor levy for overnight stays.
But Harrogate MP Tom Gordon’s feelings on the issue are echoed by others, including a local councillor in Knaresborough.
“We support local events and even run the local tours which bring vital footfall for our local businesses,” said Knaresborough Town Councillor Andy Bell.
"We need to see the money from a visitor levy pumped back into the community, to public transport and to cleaning up the environmental impact of tourism.”