Overview
- BCP Council has formally asked central government for permission to introduce an overnight visitor levy and to raise fines for specific parking offences.
- Council briefings and local reporting put the working estimate for the levy at about £2 per person per night, with exact design still to be finalised.
- Officials point to recent disorder on Bournemouth Beach and heavy cleanup costs — council staff reported collecting about 83 tonnes of waste after a busy period — as reasons for new revenue and enforcement powers.
- Hospitality leaders and many local business owners demand strict ringfencing so levy income is reinvested in tourism services, and warn an extra per-night charge could deter visitors or shift bookings to neighbouring towns.
- Local MPs have offered conditional support if funds go to tourism management and promotion, and the scheme now awaits ministers’ approval and detailed safeguards on how money would be spent.