Tourism: Overnight Visitor Levy

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 17th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

My understanding is that the Edinburgh scheme is relatively new. It was introduced this summer and the estimate is that it has raised £50 million. We will be looking carefully at Edinburgh’s experience. It has not reported any decrease in visitor numbers, and we expect a positive programme of how it is going to invest that money. Edinburgh is home to many artists over the summer; I am sure it would want to make it clear that they are very welcome to go to Edinburgh and will be supported.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware of the Merseyside mayor’s proposals to lever in private sector money using this levy for some exciting schemes that will create wealth, growth and jobs? Does she not think that the mayor of Merseyside will know more about generation than the Tory party, which abandoned lots of these areas for a long time?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am absolutely convinced that Mayor Rotheram knows what is best for his local area. He is a passionate advocate of everything to do with Liverpool. Liverpool and Manchester have already introduced a flat-rate levy at the behest of the business community in their areas. It is the businesses that have worked with the leaders to bring forward those levies. I am pretty sure that I will be in Liverpool fairly shortly, so I look forward very much to finding out more about it.