'Tourism tax' to be considered for West Norfolk
A working group will also look at issues with parking and coach trips to the Norfolk coast
A group of councillors is to be formed in west Norfolk to promote the area’s tourism offering – and to debate whether to impose a ‘tourist tax’ on visitors.
Members of the borough council have agreed to form a ‘tourism informal working group’ – which will work on a “high level tourism strategy” for King’s Lynn, Hunstanton, Downham Market and surrounding villages.
The working group will discuss a number of topics around tourism in the area, including issues with parking, coach excursions, and coastal facilities.
One question it is set to examine will be whether to seek to impose a tourism levy on visitors.
The idea had been proposed by independent councillor Sandra Squire at a July council meeting.
Her motion argued: “With the current financial climate and councils having to find new sources of funding, it is noted that the Local Government Association estimate that a small flat rate tourist levy (tax) introduced by councils could increase council revenues by up to £7 million a year.”
She suggested the council write to the government to ask it to give local authorities the power to impose such a tax, but Conservative council leader Stuart Dark had suggested the idea instead be discussed by a more specialist group of councillors.
Another debate the working group may examine would be around whether to allow charged, overnight parking for suitably equipped camper-vans for periods of up to 24 hours in a selected council-run car park in Hunstanton.
Councillors agreed to form the group at a meeting of the authority’s regeneration and development panel on November 8.
Tory councillor Colin Rose said the new group should look into whether the area’s rural bus services – particularly away from the coast – could be improved, while his party colleague Carol Bower said the borough needed more welcoming and positive signage.
Chris Crofts, another Conservative, meanwhile stressed the need for meetings to be held with coach companies, to try and work out why King’s Lynn seemed relatively neglected by tour-buses, compared with nearby locations like Lincoln.
The panel’s Tory chair, Judith Collingham, said the authority should devote more resources to help it explain to people “what an incredible offering there is in this area”.
It is still to be decided which councillors will be part of the new group.