People staying in Southport could soon have to pay around £2 – £3 a night extra as part of a ‘tourist tax’ set to be introduced in the region.
The move is spearheaded by the Liverpool
City Region Metro Mayor and pending a consultation will be in place from 2028.
However Southport councillors have bashed the ‘tourist tax’ which goes by the official name of an ‘overnight accommodation levy.’
Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson, said it would be a “great source of revenue” which would stop councils “having to go to government” for funding. She also lauded the positive effects the levy can have on all six boroughs under the LCR family.
However, the Conservative opposition, led by Mike Prendergast, warned the levy could damage trade in the coastal town.
In a motion due to be debated later at a full council meeting, Prendergast said: “The majority of the tourism economy in Sefton, in towns such as Southport, is built on short stays, affordability and, very often, small family-run accommodation which operate on tight margins in a price sensitive environment.”
Calling for the tourist tax plans to be scrapped, he warned that were it to be introduced, any money raised in Southport should not be spent on projects in Liverpool, but kept within Sefton.