Scottish Highlands plots ‘campervan tax' amid huge rise in visitors
Campervan drivers face paying a tourist tax to drive through the Scottish Highlands because the roads 'cannot cope' with the number of visitors.
Tensions have risen in recent years between locals and campervan drivers following a surge in motorhome tourists, with accusations they are clogging up roads and illegally dumping waste.
The number of visitors to the Highlands has risen by 65pc since 2012 with nearly 36,000 campervans touring the region in 2022, according to the local council.
The increase is in part down to the construction of the North Coast 500, a scenic 500-mile route around the north coast dubbed 'Scotland's Route 66', which has attracted tourists from around the world and led to a rise in visitors renting campervans to complete the drive.
A study by Glasgow Caledonian University found the route, which was launched in 2015, has boosted the local economy by £22m a year, creating about 200 full-time jobs.
However, Labour and SNP politicians are calling for campervan drivers to pay a levy to visit the area with some suggesting the council install cameras to track the registration plates of drivers to make sure they pay.
Shaun Fraser, who is standing to be Labour MSP for Inverness and Nairn, said: 'Initiatives such as the North Coast 500 have transformed the dynamics of Highland tourism, with a huge rise in campervans using rural single–track highland roads. Our roads cannot cope with this. It is a mixed blessing.
'Highland communities and local services must benefit from tourism. I support a fair and well-designed visitor levy and sensible measures to manage the impact of campervans.
'I would be open to looking at options attached to campervans, including number plate recognition to charge visiting campervans using highland roads. I think that this should be considered.'
It comes after Highland Council introduced a voluntary scheme last year whereby campervan visitors could pay £40 for a seven-day pass to park in some of the local authority's car parks with daily access to showering facilities.
The initiative was shunned by tourists with the council forecast to raise £20,000 from the initiative in its first year despite setting a target of £500,000.
Emma Roddick, of the SNP, has called for campervan visitors to be included as part of a wider tourist tax being considered by the council.
The Highlands MSP said it was 'fair' that campervan drivers contributed to the 'preservation and maintenance of the areas they enjoy so much'.
Highlands Council is currently reviewing whether to impose a 5pc charge on overnight accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets that it suggests would raise £10m a year, increasing further if campervans were included.
The proposal has been met with fierce opposition from local business groups who fear the tax would put the area at a disadvantage to the rest of the UK and detract visitors.
If approved, the levy could come into force by the end of next year, the earliest permitted under legislation passed by the Scottish government last year.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Labour rule in Wales taken for granted and under threat at Senedd poll
People take for granted that Labour will always be in power in Wales, the First Minister has said, as she warned that Reform UK are the 'biggest threat' to the nation's way of life ahead of key elections next year. Baroness Eluned Morgan warned in her speech to the Welsh Labour conference that the Senedd elections will be a 'moment of reckoning' as Nigel Farage's party are 'rising', prompting people to ask 'big, serious questions about what kind of future they want for Wales'. Reform is looking to end Labour's 26 years of domination at the Senedd elections in May next year. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Mr Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. 'I think they're the biggest threat to Wales and our way of life,' Baroness Morgan told the PA news agency. 'I think people take Labour for granted in Wales. It's something that, you know, there's an expectation that we'll always be in power. 'So the things that are real in people's lives today, like free prescriptions, free parking in hospitals, free school meals for children in school. All of these things are political choices, and Reform would make different political choices.' Asked if she felt the best way to counter the threat of Reform in the elections was to shift to the left, she said: 'What I'm clear is that we've got to stay true to the values of Welsh Labour. 'And the values of Welsh Labour are consistent with the red Welsh way … and there are times when we will be in a different place from the UK. 'And yes, I think the political centre of gravity in Wales is further to the left than throughout the UK.' She had earlier accused Mr Farage of 'peddling fantasies about sending people's grandchildren down coal mines and reopening blast furnaces' while the Welsh government deals with the 'cost of industrial decline'. Mr Farage has said his party wants to restart Port Talbot's blast furnaces, which were shut down in September, with a new electric arc furnace being built in their place. The Prime Minister warned in his own speech that Mr Farage 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for Port Talbot's blast furnaces. Sir Keir Starmer said the Reform leader has 'no idea what he's talking about' when it comes to the furnaces, and has 'no plan at all'. The Prime Minister had earlier warned of the prospect of the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru forming a coalition in the Senedd in what he called a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. It would be 'working families left to pick up the bill', he added. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Labour will not drag away 'safety net' from the vulnerable, says Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has said that "everyone agrees" the welfare system needs fixing, but assured that Labour will not "take away the safety net" depended on by vulnerable people. In a speech delivered at the Welsh Labour conference, following a major reversal on reforms due to backbench opposition, he emphasised that mending the "broken" system must be achieved in a "Labour way". "We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work," the Prime Minister declared. READ MORE: Friends left stunned at Manchester Airport after landing £24,000 in terminal READ MORE: Workers at trendy new neighbourhood development make amazing discovery "Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. "Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way." He praised Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan as a "fierce champion" and "the best person to lead Wales into the future", earning applause and cheers from the audience. Baroness Morgan had publicly criticised the welfare plans and called for Sir Keir to change tack on restrictions on winter fuel payments, which he also eventually reversed. Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC she was "right to raise concerns" and promised to "deliver on those as far as we can". Farmers gathered outside the conference in Llandudno to protest ahead of Sir Keir's speech, with about 20 tractors parked on the promenade in the north Wales resort town by late morning. Sir Keir also said any deal between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru at next year's key elections in Wales would amount to a "backroom stitch-up". The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. The Prime Minister said it would risk a "return to the chaos and division of the last decade" and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. He told the Llandudno conference it would be "working families left to pick up the bill". "Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together," he said. "I know that these are the parties that talk a big game, but who is actually delivering?" Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election. Reform UK is eyeing an opportunity to end Labour's 26 years of domination in the Welsh Parliament. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. Sir Keir also took aim at Nigel Farage, calling him a "wolf in Wall Street clothing" who has "no idea what he's talking about". He said the Reform UK leader "isn't interested in Wales" and has no viable plan for the blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Starmer: Labour will not take away ‘safety net' from vulnerable people
Sir Keir Starmer has said 'everyone agrees' the welfare system needs to be fixed but that Labour will not 'take away the safety net' that vulnerable people rely on. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference that came after a major U-turn on reforms in the face of a backbench rebellion, he said fixing the 'broken' system must be done in a 'Labour way'. 'We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work,' the Prime Minister said. 'Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control. 'Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way.' He called Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan a 'fierce champion' and 'the best person to lead Wales into the future' to applause and cheers from the audience. Baroness Morgan had publicly criticised the welfare plans and called for Sir Keir to change tack on restrictions on winter fuel payments, which he also eventually reversed. Farmers gathered outside the conference in Llandudno to protest ahead of Sir Keir's speech, with about 20 tractors parked on the promenade in the north Wales resort town by late morning. Sir Keir also said any deal between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru at next year's key elections in Wales would amount to a 'backroom stitch-up'. The elections to the Senedd will use a proportional system for the first time, meaning coalitions are likely. The Prime Minister said it would risk a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. He told the Llandudno conference it would be 'working families left to pick up the bill'. 'Whether that's with Reform or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country, with no plan to put Wales back together,' he said. 'I know that these are the parties that talk a big game, but who is actually delivering?' Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election. Reform UK is eyeing an opportunity to end Labour's 26 years of domination in the Welsh Parliament. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. Sir Keir also took aim at Nigel Farage, calling him a 'wolf in Wall Street clothing' who has 'no idea what he's talking about'. He said the Reform UK leader 'isn't interested in Wales' and has no viable plan for the blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
