B&NES Council Leader discusses tourist levy with PM

Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, represented our region in his capacity as Deputy Mayor of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority in a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Cllr Guy visited 10 Downing Street for a discussion with Sir Keir Starmer on tourism levies and what they could mean for the West of England as a region, and specifically for Bath & North East Somerset.

Cllr Guy said: "As a world‑class heritage destination, tourism is a vital part of our local economy. It supports thousands of jobs, brings investment into our area and helps keep our high streets, cultural venues and visitor attractions thriving. At the same time, being such a popular place brings real pressures – on transport, on public services, on our historic environment and on the communities who call this area home.

"A tourism levy is about finding a fair and sustainable way to help manage those pressures. It is a small contribution from visitors towards the cost of maintaining the place they are enjoying. That money can then be reinvested locally – improving public transport, supporting street cleaning and environmental improvements, protecting heritage sites and helping us manage visitor numbers more responsibly. My message today was clear: if government is serious about backing local areas, it needs to give councils the tools to support tourism in a way that benefits residents as well as visitors.