Will this London borough get a ‘tourist tax’ in the future?

You might expect a tourist tax in the West End or in Camden. But what about Brixton?

That’s the plan Lambeth council is weighing up, echoing what has happened in tourist hotspots like Edinburgh, Manchester and Bhutan.

Lambeth, stretching across south London, covers the suburban areas of Streatham Common and Norwood all the way up to tourist hot spot areas of Waterloo and the South Bank.

It’s also home to the Kia Oval, home of Surrey County Cricket Club and a key sports venue for England’s test matches, as well as Clapham High Street where the infamous spot of Infernos, Margot Robbie’s favourite club, resides.

While a late night levy in the high tourism areas might make sense, what do local businesses think?

One highlight in the area is Brixton Village – a colourful market hub of unique food, drink and local businesses just a stone’s throw from Brixton’s O2 Academy.

Despite all it has to offer, the market has faced a reduced footfall in recent years, making it difficult for shops to keep their doors open.

One shop worker in the market, who declined to give her name, believes the tourist tax will only make matters worse.

She 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.’

Nowhere in London currently has a tourist tax in place, which is why there is much confusion as to why Lambeth might be the first place to have one for the capital.

Andrew Murray-Watson, founder of Guzzl, in Brixton Village, fears the levy will put people off from visiting, which would be damaging to businesses like his who rely on tourist customers.

He told Metro: ‘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.’

Money made from tourist tax is typically used to ease the impacts of tourism on local businesses, services and the environment.

Andrew continued: ‘I think it would probably be a deterrent for people when they’re choosing where to stay in London as a whole.’

With a close underground, train station and many bus routes, visitors could simply avoid the tourist tax by travelling in for the day, rather than staying overnight.

Brixton businesses, just like everywhere else in the UK currently, are seriously struggling as shoppers move to online, while rent continues to increase.

Managing Director of SatayBar, Elly Foster, said so many places have closed recently, there will be nothing for tourists to visit.

She told Metro: ‘Local independent businesses in one of the most expensive capitals in the world needs more help than it gets.

‘Taxing people is not going to help us survive.

‘As an independent business for a long time, my rent keeps going up. My bills keep going up. But my turnover doesn’t.’

Elly isn’t the only one who has noticed the decline in Brixton.

A staff member from the music lounge Brixtonia described the area as a ‘ghost town’ because of how many businesses are shutting their doors.

Meanwhile, Regina from the bookshop Beautiful Books, understood how some might visit because ‘they like a bit of multicultural flavour’ but said there are no impressive sights to see – making the tourist tax ‘ridiculous.’

However, not all hope is lost for the area. Pizzarova, a Bristol-based sourdough pizza restaurant, launched last week in Pop Brixton, a vibrant community space nearby.

Co-founder Jack Lander told Metro: ‘From what I gather, Brixton does get a bad rap, but in the time that we’ve spent here in the last few weeks, it has been amazing.

‘So many people here are on the same wavelength as us in terms of us wanting to be part of something – to come and have conversations, to trade goods and to promote each other.’

Jack finds the proposal of a tourist tax in just Brixton ‘mental’, saying it does not make sense ‘that you don’t get taxed to visit Westminster, but you do get taxed to visit Brixton.’

Lambeth council leader, Councillor Claire Holland, said she is proud of Lambeth’s thriving sectors.

She told Metro: ‘We want to do everything we can as a council to expand and strengthen our borough as a leading global destination to visit and live in.

‘These levies are in place across Europe, so it will not be a surprise to those visiting London and will contribute to the growth of Lambeth and the capital.’

Lambeth council are willing to work with the Mayor of London to create a London-wide levy, she added.

The area’s Green Party also supports the tourist tax proposal.

Cllr Paul Valentine told Metro: ‘London’s cultural life is one of the best on the planet, and with this levy we can invest in our creative industries, our local communities, and our young people.

‘This investment creates a virtuous cycle – the more we put in, the stronger and more vibrant our communities become.

‘One amendment we made was recognising our many pubs in the borough, which can be hubs of cultural life and employment.

‘We want to see a joined-up approach which makes sure the whole of Lambeth benefits and not just the wealthier parts of the borough.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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