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In recent years some of London’s busiest tourist hotspots have been calling out for measures to capitalise on visitors and make things better for local residents. One such thing proposed to raise vital funds for local authorities is a tourist levy, which has been considered by the likes of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (back in 2024) and northwest London borough Brent.
You might not expect Clapham to be an area that might be among those soon to get a ‘tourist tax’ but, well, that could indeed be the case. South London council Lambeth is calling for an overnight levy to be introduced in the borough – and across London – which would see visitors charged a small fee on accommodation costs like short-term lets and hotels.
Liverpool, Edinburgh and Manchester have already adopted similar schemes. It was reported that Manchester’s tourist tax raised £2.8m after the first year. So how would a levy potentially benefit Lambeth?
Lambeth includes Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall, Streatham and Norwood, which may seem like mainly neighbourhood areas, but this borough is also home to some major attractions including the London Eye, the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre.
The South Bank attracts tens of millions of people each year, with around 200,000 nighttime visitors every weekend. In a petition, Lambeth Labour said: ‘We’re incredibly proud of this, and we want to do everything we can as a council to expand and strengthen our borough as a leading destination to visit and live in.
‘The revenue from what Lambeth Labour calls the ‘Love Lambeth Levy’ could be allocated towards public realm improvements, such as street cleaning and general upkeep and maintenance of the borough and promote Lambeth as a leading destination to visit and enjoy.’
But some businesses think the tax could be harmful to trade. A shop owner in Brixton Village market told Metro: ‘It’s a terrible idea for Brixton as we already have issues with footfall. Taxing people on top of that, in this economy, is not going to help.
‘We don’t need any more disincentives to come in the area and stay. We just need ways of encouraging people and not adding an extra barrier to it.’
Founder of the Brixton Village shop Guzzl Andrew Murray-Watson said: ‘I’m not opposed to the idea, but it has to be properly managed and reinvested back into the community or the benefit of residents and tourists.’
Jack Lander from the Bristol pizza chain Pizzarova – which recently opened in Pop Brixton – told Metro he didn’t understand how it would work if people weren’t charged for staying in Westminster but would be if they stayed in Brixton.
Looking for more things to do in Brixton? We’ve got you covered. Here’s our ultimate guide to the lively south London neighbourhood.
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