Lib Dems want to impose tourist tax on Bristol visitors

Next week, Bristol city councillors meet to agree the annual budget. The focus so far has been on the Green-led administration’s proposed £43million of cuts, savings and ways to bring in more money to balance the books for 2025/26, which have already seen several major U-turns where some original options from a long list have either been dropped or pushed back.

These include halving the libraries budget, ending lollipop school patrols, mothballing three museums, stopping funding for cultural groups and removing £3.4million from council tax benefits for the poorest households. Now it’s the turn of the other three parties in the chamber who have all submitted alternative suggestions, called amendments, to a full council meeting of Bristol City Council on Tuesday, February 25.

The Greens are asking for a 4.99 per cent council tax rise, including two per cent for social care. The current £4.7million libraries budget would have been slashed by £2.4million, with councillors told last month that this could leave just seven to 10 of the 26 branches open, plus the main Central one.

But the authority will instead use reserves to plug the gap for the financial year from April and set up a cross-party taskforce to review the future of the service. The proposed temporary closure of Blaise Museum, Georgian House and Red Lodge and phasing out all £635,000 of grant support to cultural organisations over the next three years have been postponed by 12 months so a working group of councillors can seek alternative funding options.

A £3.4million cut from the £44.1million Council Tax Reduction Scheme has also been removed from the cost-saving measures for 2025/26, with another task group to consider how best to support low-income families overall. And charges for disabled car parking bays have been abandoned completely.

But fees for meals on wheels are still in line to be hiked by 15 per cent, while a £1million saving for waste services would be met by reducing the frequency of black bin collections, with a consultation ongoing into options for three- or even four-weekly, along with larger recycling containers and soft-plastic recycling. The three other political groups have their own ideas on how to raise and save cash.

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The three other political groups have their own ideas on how to raise and save cash.

Here is what the Liberal Democrats want to do with your money.

The group is proposing to introduce a tourist tax, called a visitor charge. It wants to spend £15,000 on a feasibility study into the idea of hotel guests paying £2 extra to stay each night.

Manchester has already introduced the scheme which raised £2.8million for the city in its first year. Lib Dem group leader Cllr Jos Clark, who tabled the amendment, said: “Across the country, more and more cities are adopting a visitor charge as a means of generating investment in their tourism sectors.

“The charge is applied to hotel guests staying in the city and might mean that visitors pay a couple of extra pounds per room per night. This means that, as a popular destination city, we can continue to invest in our rich cultural heritage and create a sustainable tourist economy.

“It is essential that Bristol pursues adopting this innovative revenue stream. We cannot afford to be left behind.”

The money to pay for the study would come from the general budget for the policy, strategy and communications service. Commenting on the implications of the amendment, city council officers said: “Any feasibility study on visitor charging should consider potential disproportionate impacts on low-income visitors, disabled people and older adults reliant on care-giving and visits from those living outside the city, and those with strong cultural or family ties to the area.

“Decision-makers should also consider any disproportionate impacts on tourism-dependent sectors, where, eg, young people and minoritised ethnic groups may be overrepresented in lower-paid roles. Removing general budget from policy, strategy and communications would result in us reducing salary costs (ie, posts) and would impact our ability to carry out other priorities as set out by policy committees.

“Diverting funding from other policy areas may impact the council’s ability to support priority initiatives benefiting marginalised and vulnerable communities.” The Lib Dems ’ other amendment would set up an easy way for Bristolians to donate to community groups.

Bath & North East Somerset Council launched a similar initiative four years ago, which has raised almost £40,000 to date. Bristol City Council public health and communities committee chairman Cllr Stephen Williams, who has put forward the idea, said: “The work done by community groups is deeply important and often can’t be replicated by other bodies.

“Unfortunately, due to the council’s precarious financial situation, future funding for these groups is due to be scaled back. Bristolians should be able to contribute their own voluntary donations towards these good causes if they are able and wish to do so.”

The proposed budget will reduce funding for the Bristol Impact Fund, a four-year grant programme run by the council, by 16 per cent from 2026 onwards. Cllr Williams’ proposed Community Contribution Fund would supplement this in the first instance.

Strategy and resources committee vice-chair Lib Dem Cllr Caroline Gooch said “The council has been left in a difficult position where it has had to consider a whole host of savings options to plug the financial black hole. Some of the most difficult savings, including a slashing of our library service, Lib Dem colleagues and I have managed to avert.

“However, being forced to find savings is not the position we want to be in as Liberal Democrats. We need to be investing in our services for the good of our city.”

A party spokesperson said “The Liberal Democrats are committed to finding alternate income streams for the council, and we will not settle for a state of decline left behind by Bristol Labour. We believe that Bristol deserves better, and we will continue to fight for a fair deal for Bristolians.”

See what the Labour party would do here.

And what the Conservativeswould do here.