“The consultation is available on GOV.UK and will close on 18 February.”
Above – GovUK Press Release 25 Nov 2025. Only the press release linked above says it won’t be published until tomorrow – presumably after The Chancellor’s finished her Budget speech.
“With this new power, local leaders will be empowered to deliver more long-term, locally led investment in transport, regeneration and cultural assets that can unlock growth and improve the public realm for residents, businesses and visitors.
“Making places more attractive to visit, live and work in will attract further investment and improve the visitor experience. I am therefore proposing constituent authorities within Strategic Authorities that implement a levy should be eligible for a share of revenue raised, for growth related spending.”
Baroness Taylor, written statement to Parliament 25 Nov 2025
This deals with the risk faced by smaller cities like Cambridge that have a large rural hinterland in their Combined Authority area being penalised for party-political reasons. And vice-versa lest a mayor chose to spend the money in urban areas.
Scotland has already legislated for a visitors’ levy
Which is why Edinburgh is less than a year away from bringing in their own visitors levy that will apply to Air BnB properties *and* purpose-built student accommodation rented outside of university term times. Here’s looking at you Cambridge! (I wrote about HM Treasury’s micromanagement here)
I wrote about Edinburgh’s scheme that comes into being this coming April 2026 – which is six weeks after the consultation for England closes. The levy in Wales is due to come in a year later, which may indicate a suitable time for when England’s levy comes in. It’s much easier to run with these things at the start of a financial year and have the different nations of the UK co-ordinating their start times.
“We’ve been here before debating tourism taxes, haven’t we?”
As is often the case.
Above – Cambridge Evening News 05 Oct 1994, p8, from the British Newspaper Archive
The proposals in 1994 were put together by an American work experience student who was decades ahead of her time (or we were decades behind!). Her suggestions included:
- An activity tax for tourists that use swimming pools and other sports/leisure facilities
- Working with the colleges to tax visitors on entry
- A hotel bed tax
- A levy on private language schools and cram/resit colleges
There’s more in LostCambridge here on attempts to tax tourists in the 1970s & 1990s
Whether the above powers will be included in the proposals from the Government remains to be seen. We’ll find out in 24 hours or so
Which also reminds me – what happened to Cambridge’s tourism management plan?
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