Camden Backs “Keep the Levy Local” Campaign to Retain Visitor Levy Funding
Camden is supporting London Councils’ “Keep the Levy Local” campaign, calling for boroughs to retain at least 50 per cent of the funding raised locally from a proposed overnight visitor levy that would add a small charge to overnight stays.
Cllr Camron Aref-Adib, Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living, has written why this approach would help London to retain its place as a world-class visitor destination and ensure that the communities who host millions of visitors each year see benefits from that success.
London is a world-class visitor destination, and Camden is proud to be at the very heart of it. Every year millions of people come to experience the vibrancy of Camden Town, visit the British Museum, explore Hampstead Heath, or pass through central London’s only international gateway at St Pancras. Tourism in Camden supports jobs, businesses and our thriving cultural scene.
But while tourism brings clear benefits, the pressures it creates are felt most of all by our residents and local services. From street cleaning and waste collection to community safety and maintaining our public spaces so that Camden remains an attractive destination, these services all carry a cost.
That’s why Camden is supporting the introduction of an overnight visitor levy. Similar schemes already operate successfully in popular destinations like Amsterdam and Barcelona, using a small charge added to accommodation stays to raise funds that are reinvested locally.
Here in London, we want to see the money raised from a levy distributed fairly at a local level and, together with councils across London, we are supporting the “Keep the Levy Local” campaign, calling for boroughs to retain at least 50 per cent of the revenue raised locally.
Central London boroughs like ours host a vast majority of visitor accommodation and face the greatest service pressures as a result. Retaining our fair share locally will allow us to reinvest directly in cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods, improved public spaces, cultural activities and support for our hospitality businesses.
We also believe a higher rate should apply to short-term let stays, recognising the important role hotels play in supporting our local economies and the pressures that short-term lets are adding to London’s housing supply. We estimate there are around 6,000 short-term lets in Camden alone.
Our ambition is to work in partnership with the government and the Mayor of London to design a levy that helps London retain its place as a world-class visitor destination, while ensuring that the communities who host millions of visitors each year see real benefits from that success.
