The mayoral hopefuls from the three main political parties were addressing a meeting of the Lake District Hotels Association at Low Wood Bay Resort on Windermere.
The LDHA represents many of the area’s leading hospitality and tourism businesses. The meeting followed the announcement earlier that local leaders will be given the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy, as part of a devolution drive to shift power out of Westminster.
More money could be invested into town centres, public transport and events to boost tourism in communities, the Government says. It will protect budget holidays by requiring the levy to be charged as a percentage of the cost of accommodation, rather than a flat fee, shielding families from disproportionate costs for cheaper holidays.
Each of the candidates is bidding to lead the newly formed Cumbria Combined Authority in the election in May next year. They were introduced by David Sheen, public affairs director at UK Hospitality.
Labour’s David Allan, currently Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, and Libby Bateman for the Liberal Democrats, both favour a visitor levy. Mr Allan said there was a need to put the money raised back into the community, and particularly to help young people stay in the area. He said that money would be spent to improve the built environment, invest in public transport – and public toilets – and to help keep the fells clear of litter.
He insisted that businesses must be involved in the process from the outset, and that Cumbrian residents should be exempt from paying in their home county.
Ms Bateman, a board member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park authority, and a former Cumbria County Councillor, favoured ways of managing congestion by using visitor levy income, and investing in better public transport. But she said that a blanket levy for the whole of the county was not appropriate as the challenges facing the Lake District were very different from those in Barrow, Penrith or Carlisle. “One size fits all won’t work,” she said.
Conservative candidate Mike Starkie, currently directly elected Mayor of Copeland in West Cumbria, is opposed to the idea. “If I won, there won’t be a visitor tax,” he told the meeting. A firm believer in devolution, Mr Starkie said he favoured an opportunity to bring investment into Cumbria, and he would set up a business advisory group if elected “if we had proper devolution”. He also warned that Cumbria would be harder hit by a tourist tax than big cities.
Chair of the LDHA, Michael Coletta, said: “We are grateful that the candidates gave their time to come and talk to us directly. And even more that they are happy to receive our many questions. We need the reassurance that there will be full consultation before anything is introduced.”
The Government says this latest step in fiscal devolution will bring England in line with other countries where similar levies are in place. “It will directly benefit England’s tourism hotspots by investing money back into their communities, which will support regional tourism, help manage the footfall of visitors, and improve areas for those living there.”