Richmond Council’s leader has attacked plans for an overnight visitor levy – widely dubbed a tourist tax – as “another kick in the teeth for Richmond”, claiming every penny raised in the borough would be “grabbed by the Mayor of London” and leave nothing for local services.
Cllr Gareth Roberts was responding to Thursday’s tourist tax announcement, which set out plans for an overnight visitor levy on London hotel stays.
“The idea of a Tourist Tax has merit,” said Cllr Roberts, “but for all of the money to be taken out of Richmond and grabbed by the Mayor of London to add to his already swollen coffers leaving nothing for the borough is simply wrong.”
He argued that welcoming visitors comes with a “price tag” for the borough. “We love being a beacon for tourists, but welcome as our visitors are they come with a price tag. More street bins need emptying, there’s more wear and tear on our roads and pavements, more impact on our parks and open spaces – and that’s before we consider how much we spend promoting the borough as a great place to visit. All this costs money, lots of money, so for the money which that is raised in Richmond from a Tourist Tax to go straight to City Hall is just another kick in the teeth for Richmond.”
According to the council, Richmond welcomes around 4.5 million visitors a year – drawn by Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace and Richmond Park, as well as filming locations made famous by Ted Lasso. Around 600,000 stay overnight, while the rest are day visitors – “but they still use our roads, parks, public spaces and local services”.
Cllr Roberts presented the levy plans as the latest in a series of financial blows. He claimed the Government had recently stripped Richmond of nearly 60% of its funding to prop up councils elsewhere, and pointed to the planned mansion tax, which he said would force owners of some borough properties to pay extra “with none of the money being earmarked for local services”. Four London councils have warned the tax could cost residents £275m a year.
“Whether we’re talking about the 600,000 annual overnight visitors or the millions who flock to Richmond during the day, tourists are a welcome boost to Richmond, but it’s one that comes with a price tag. All we’re asking for is fairness, for the government to recognise that they’re already stripping us of key funding and that this is one way in which we could have had some more money coming into the borough. Taking money away from boroughs and handing it to the Mayor make absolutely no sense for a Government that talks a big game on devolving powers. This just puts more power and more money into the hands of the Mayor who already has quite enough of both.”
Under the plans as described by the council, revenue raised from the levy in Richmond would flow to City Hall rather than remaining with the borough – a set-up the council leader said flew in the face of the Government’s devolution rhetoric.
