Latest news with #SusanAitken
Glasgow Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
New tourist tax in Glasgow approved by councillors
The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. It is expected the fee could bring in about £16 million annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee today, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. READ MORE: Councillor Ricky Bell: 'Visitor levy in Glasgow could grow city's tourism offer' Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee this morning. Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment', as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay. The amendment was rejected by Labour, the SNP and a Conservative councillor.
Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Glasgow tourist tax given go-ahead by councillors with hopes visitor levy will generate £16m
Visitors to the city will pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their stay. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Glasgow's new tourist tax has been given the go-ahead – with visitors to be charged on average £4.83 per night. The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is expected the fee could bring in about £16m annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee on Thursday, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee on Thursday morning (June 19). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment' as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay.
The National
21 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Plans for Glasgow tourist tax approved by councillors
The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. It is expected the fee could bring in about £16 million annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee on Thursday, City treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' READ MORE: BAE given £9.2 million to create 300 shipbuilding jobs by Scottish Government It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee on Thursday morning. Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment' as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay. The amendment was rejected by Labour, the SNP and a Conservative councillor. Commenting, Scottish Green councillor Blair Anderson, whose motion started the process, said: 'The tourist tax is going to be a game-changer for Glasgow, delivering more money to tidy up our city and make it even more attractive for visitors and residents alike. READ MORE: 300 jobs at risk as London-based firm moves Scottish Power contract to South Africa 'A small contribution from tourists will mean we can invest millions more in street sweeping, bin collections, and getting Glasgow looking good again. 'I'm glad that Greens in Holyrood got this law passed, and I'm grateful to all councillors who have worked with me over recent months to get this tax in place as soon as possible.' Meanwhile, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: 'Glasgow is a global city, drawing visitors from all over the world. But we have seen how over-tourism can damage communities, like in Venice and Barcelona, where the residents end up paying the price. 'The tourist tax is vital to delivering sustainable tourism where local residents feel the benefit of our tourism and events sectors. I'm delighted that Glasgow is continuing to benefit from Green policy in action.'
STV News
a day ago
- Business
- STV News
Glasgow tourist tax given go-ahead by councillors
Glasgow's new tourist tax has been given the go-ahead this morning – with visitors to be charged on average £4.83 per night. The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. It is expected the fee could bring in about £16m annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee on Thursday, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee this morning. Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment' as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay. The amendment was rejected by Labour, the SNP and a Conservative councillor. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow £7.7bn smaller under SNP, says Darren Jones
The Labour MP compared its performance to Greater Manchester, which grew by nearly 50% between 2014 and 2022. 'If the Glasgow City Region had achieved that same level of growth, it would be £7.7bn larger today,' he said. The council disputed Mr Jones's figures, and said recent economic data showed the Glasgow City Region outpaced both Greater Manchester and the West Midlands in growth in recent years. READ MORE His comments came after Susan Aitken, the leader of the SNP administration in Glasgow, wrote to Scottish Secretary Ian Murray to express her 'disappointment' that Rachel Reeves had failed to offer a devolution deal for the region. She said the UK Government had 'disempowered' the city. The Chancellor's Spending Review included detailed commitments to expand integrated settlements for English city regions. Instead of having to bid for different pots of money, some areas in England now get one large, flexible budget they can spend over several years. This means local mayors have more freedom to decide how to invest in things like housing, transport and skills. Chief Secretary Darren Jones arrives in Downing Street (Image: Stefan Rousseau) After the latest Spending Review, this kind of funding is being extended to London, the North East, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool City Region. They will join Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which already have these deals. In total, it means four in ten people in England will live in places where local leaders control how money is spent on growing the economy and improving public services. Ms Aitken said the lack of a similar deal for Glasgow meant it would be 'reduced to simply administering programmes on behalf of UK Government as if it were a small local authority'. She added: 'The empowerment of our comparator city regions in England and the disempowerment of Glasgow City Region threatens all of the progress we have made.' READ MORE In his column, Mr Jones said Glasgow had not been 'sidelined' in the Spending Review, pointing to £1.7 billion of potential investment from a new investment zone, £250 million for Faslane, and millions more for town centre regeneration in communities across the region — including Drumchapel, Coatbridge, Greenock and Clydebank. He said: 'I could continue to list the monetary value of UK Government investments for Glasgow and Scotland, but I know that when it comes to changing things, power can be just as important as pounds. 'Progress made in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands is proof that our big city regions can do more when they have greater control over funding and decisions in their areas. 'But in Scotland, the decision to devolve power from Holyrood and empower the city regions rests firmly with the Scottish Government. 'I know that Anas Sarwar and my colleagues in Scottish Labour have begun to set out plans for directly elected mayors, with powers over skills and transport, so they can turbocharge growth in their cities and regions. 'This is the kind of fresh thinking that cities such as Glasgow deserve. "This is in contrast to years of the SNP centralising power in Holyrood and cutting funding to Scotland's councils." Glasgow Council Leader Susan Aitken hit back at the Treasury ministerCllr Aitken welcomed Mr Jones's recognition of the value of city region devolution, but accused him of implying that the UK Government would only agree to such a deal for Scottish cities if Labour won next year's Holyrood election. She said: 'Darren Jones is absolutely right to say that the devolution of resources to our city regions is essential to drive growth and innovation — and that Greater Manchester and the West Midlands are now, clearly, starting to reap the benefits of the deals they have been handed by the UK Government. 'That is exactly why Glasgow City Region wants the same backing — and why I am disappointed to see him imply that the UK Government's willingness to support Glasgow and Edinburgh depends on the result of next year's Scottish Parliament elections. 'Glasgow's city region partners know very well that many of the administrative powers we are seeking rest with the Scottish Government — which is why the proposition we have made has been made jointly to both of our governments, at Holyrood and Westminster. 'The Chief Secretary is, however, rather evading the point — which is that the UK Government is continuing to give the impression that it is not prepared to back cities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with the kind of single-pot funding deal that is being offered to their English counterparts. 'Simply pulling together a list of previously committed funding — most of it announced by the previous government — does not come anywhere close to giving Scottish cities what our English counterparts will benefit from.' The city council also disputed Mr Jones's figures, pointing to recent data which showed that in 2023, the Glasgow City Region recorded growth of 10.8% — higher than Greater Manchester on 10.2% and the West Midlands on 9.5%. Unemployment in the region fell to just 2.9% in 2024, compared to 5.0% in Greater Manchester and 6.4% in the West Midlands.
