Council agrees to draw up plans for potential visitor levy in East Lothian
In the future, visitors to East Lothian could be charged a small fee as part of their accommodation costs, which would be used to invest in facilities and services used by visitors, as East Lothian Council agreed to draw up plans for a potential Visitor Levy Scheme.
The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in May 2024, giving local authorities in Scotland the power to introduce a percentage rate charge on overnight accommodation, including caravan parks, camping sites and self-catering accommodation. The rate would be set by each individual local authority.
At a full meeting of East Lothian Council on Tuesday 29 October it was agreed that a scheme for East Lothian should be developed in consultation with residents, businesses, and other key stakeholders.
Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council spokesperson for Economic Development and Tourism, said: “Tourism and the visitor economy is highly important to East Lothian and supports thousands of jobs in the county. Visitors come from across the UK and around the world to enjoy our unique area, the quality of our environment and the range of cultural and sporting activities.
“We are in the processing of compiling our most recent visitor survey and responses to the question about a potential levy have been very positive so far. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said they would support a visitor levy and that figure rose to 76 per cent support when they were told the money raised would be used to improve services, infrastructure and facilities that would benefit visitors to East Lothian.
“A small initial survey of our business community showed an almost 50/50 split between those opposed and those in support, so it will be very important to us to develop the proposal in consultation with these stakeholders. This levy could be an effective way to improve facilities and services used by visitors and local people alike and lift some of the burden on the public purse, but we also want to get it right, of course, so working collaboratively will be a key element in shaping the proposal.”
The first stage in designing a proposal will involve engagement, development, and financial modelling, which is expected to take around a year, with a completed draft levy proposal brought back to Council for review and approval prior to full consultation in winter 2025.
If approved, implementation could begin in spring 2026, with a statutory 18 month minimum period from that point before charging of a levy could start. More information about the Visitor Levy Scheme is on the council website.