Tourism: Overnight Visitor Levy

Lord Addington Excerpts

Thursday 17th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)]

My Lords, if that was the intention behind the levy, I would have something to say. I am delighted to tell the noble Lord that there will be exemptions. For example, we have many places that have big hospitals where parents or relatives have to stay, so there will be sensitivity at local level. It will be for the local level to decide where those exemptions apply so that it is done in the fairest possible way to protect people who have legitimate reasons and needs to be in a particular area.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, will the Minister take this opportunity to confirm that this should not be seen as a way of boosting income for normal expenditure but as a bonus on top? It should be set locally. What happens in Bath, for instance, will probably not be applicable in Barnsley. We should make sure that we do something that is appropriate for people in local communities and that it is a bonus for communities that make something out of tourism.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises an important point. It is about putting trust in local areas to work with their local partners and business community to make sure that the benefit comes back into those areas to help promote tourism. We are committed to supporting the tourism industry. I reassure the noble Lord that there will be non-statutory guidance and it will be taken very seriously. We look forward to looking at the plans from local areas that will be coming forward in due course, building on plans that are already in place. A levy is already in place in parts of this country, not to mention around Europe and the world. There are some positive examples to look to in bringing enormous benefits to wider local communities.