South London borough backs tourist tax plan to raise millions

Plans to introduce a tourist tax for a south London borough have moved one step closer to becoming a reality.

Southwark Council is considering implementing a tourist tax on visitors entering the borough in a move which opposition councillors believe could see millions of pounds raised in revenue to support the upkeep of the area.

The motion, which was originally proposed by the Southwark Liberal Democrat Group, was passed with a Labour amendment following last week’s Full Council meeting (July 9). The Lib Dem Group had initially proposed the introduction of a voluntary, £2-a-night levy, which is currently being used by cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. However, this was taken out following Labour’s amendment.

Both groups did agree on the principle of a tourist tax, and are calling for it to be implemented across London with legal backing to make it mandatory.

Victor Chamberlain, Leader of Southwark Liberal Democrats, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “This is a big win for our campaign to support local services with a tourist tax. We’re extremely lucky to be such a fantastic area for people from across the world to visit, and most of them would be happy to pay less than a coffee to ensure that local people see the benefit.

“Though the final motion didn’t contain our full proposal, we’re pleased that we’ve secured a call for the powers to implement a mandatory tourist tax. It could raise millions of pounds for Southwark to put towards community safety, cleaner streets, or cost of living support.”

Southwark is currently home to around 6,000 hotel and hostel bedrooms and at average occupancy rates, the Lib Dems argue it could raise over £2million for the borough. Southwark is home to some of London’s most visited attractions and areas including London Bridge, The Shard and the Tate Modern.

The LDRS has previously reported on the impact visitors have on residents in some areas of the borough, such as the Bermondsey Beer Mile. The visitor tax would go some way to ensuring clean up and maintenance costs are not entirely shouldered by council tax payers.

The move comes after Brent Council passed a similar motion last week (July 7) which could see a mandatory visitor levy on hotel and short-stay accommodation to help fund improvements to the area.

Last year, almost three million people attended events at Wembley Stadium from across the UK and internationally. The North West London council said the success of attracting more visitors to the area also brings “very real challenges” and the local authority wants to make sure visitors “contribute fairly” to the area’s upkeep.