Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume has reiterated her worries over a proposed North Yorkshire tourism tax, expressing concerns over its potential impact on domestic coastal tourism and family holidays.
Scarborough and Whitby's MP ‘remains to be convinced’ on the mayor’s tourism tax plan.
Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has previously stressed the need for extreme caution, transparency, and assurance that the funds from any new tourist levy would benefit the Yorkshire Coast.
Speaking in December the MP said:
"In effect, a simple levy transparently raised is a good idea. However, it's really important that any taxes raised locally in Scarborough and Whitby. Let's face it, it's Scarborough Whitby in the villages are the jewel in the crown. And we need to see the money spent here."
The mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith has described the introduction of a new levy on overnight stays in North Yorkshire as a “game changer”. Mr Skaith has suggested that a “modest levy” on 41 million annual visitors to the region could raise £50 million for York and North Yorkshire to “turbocharge investment”, but hoteliers have expressed “deep concern” about its potential impact on businesses.
Speaking on Tuesday, June 2, Alison Hume said she was yet to be convinced on how it would work on the coast.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), she said:
“I’m having conversations with Mayor David Skaith about how the tourism levy will work.
“Whilst I think introducing a tourist tax is a great idea for York, as it’s a city which attracts a lot of international tourists used to paying tourist levies, I remain to be convinced on how it would work on the coast where domestic tourism is the lifeblood of our visitor economy.
“Family finances are already squeezed and I worry that a tourist levy could be seen as a tax on the family holiday.”
Ms Hume added that she would also like to see a licensing system for Airbnbs and short-term holiday lets introduced at pace, so residents aren’t squeezed out or unfairly disadvantaged.
“There’s a balance to be struck and it’s achievable.”
It comes as the Government announced its first post-Covid campaign to promote national tourism with a focus on coastal communities.
Mayor Skaith has emphasised that he will “work with local authorities, businesses, and the tourism sector as a whole, to really bring them all on the journey together and actually work out what we want to see from such a levy, how it’d work, how it’d be collected”.
Last week, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for Open to Business, Cllr Mark Crane said that “a lot of businesses are very concerned about the introduction of such a tax and we want to make the mayor aware that there is a strong opposition from businesses who would be hit by the introduction of the tax”.
The conservative councillor added:
“That being said, it’s his decision and his alone to do it, and if he does it, we understand that some of that money will go to the Local Visitor Economy Partnership, which I sit on and officers from this council sit on and we would have some control on how it would be spent.”
The Government’s consultation on the overnight levy closed on February 18 and responses are being analysed.
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