{"id":2042842,"date":"2026-07-14T11:46:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042842"},"modified":"2026-07-14T11:46:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:46:58","slug":"bedford-mayor-raises-concerns-over-universal-tourism-tax-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042842","title":{"rendered":"Bedford mayor raises concerns over Universal ‘tourism tax’ idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/c0fb\/live\/f47dd0d0-5f4e-11f1-ae51-c396b5163a64.png”]<\/p>\n

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\"UniversalUniversal Destinations & Experiences\/Comcast<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Under government proposals, regional mayors could be given powers to charge tourists a tax for staying overnight in places like the planned Universal resort in Bedford<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Mayor of Bedford says he is concerned a potential tourism tax for people using the planned Universal theme park will not benefit the borough.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Under the Labour government proposals, regional mayors could be given powers to tax tourists for staying overnight in their districts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A consultation closed in February when Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said mayors “need powers and funding to enable them to harness England’s potential and unlock growth through investment”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But Conservative Tom Wootton said: “As mayor I’d love new powers, but the trouble is they are not talking about a local mayor, but a metro mayor which would be for the whole of Bedfordshire and maybe Northants too.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"UNIVERSALUNIVERSAL DESTINATIONS AND EXPERIENCES\/COMCAST<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Universal Studios is expected to draw 8.5 million visitors a year to just outside Bedford when its planned opening takes place in 2031<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The move would bring England into line with Scotland and Wales, which will both bring in a tourist tax next year \u2014 \u00a31.30 per night for Wales and 5% for Scotland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When the tax idea was announced in November, Reed said: “Mayors and other local leaders know their local history, local culture and the unique attributes of their places that draw visitors in.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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New York, Paris and Milan are among those that already charge a tourist tax, with research showing that reasonable fees have minimal impact on visitor numbers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Studies suggest a levy of \u00a31 per day in London could raise \u00a391m a year for the capital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More stories from Bedfordshire:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Train crash driver died from traumatic injuries, inquest hears<\/li>\n
  • Why did one water company not impose a hosepipe ban?<\/li>\n
  • Vauxhall site plans recommended for approval<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Universal United Kingdom Resort, which is due to open at Kempston Hardwick in 2031, is expected to have more visitors than any other UK tourist attraction, with estimates currently at 8.5 million a year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    But, speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio’s Rollercoaster programme about the potential overnight visitor levy, Wootton said: “I can’t say I’m in favour of it. I’m a Tory! How can a Tory be ever in favour of extra tax?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    “It’s something that you’ve got to look at in the long term and they have them in other towns and it works and [sometimes] it doesn’t work.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    “Let’s see, because my experience with the government is what they say and what actually happens are often two separate things.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    \"AmyAmy Holmes\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    Conservative Mayor Tom Wootton told BBC Three Counties Radio’s Olly Mann that as a Tory, he would not be in favour of bringing in any more taxes<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Combined authorities led by an elected mayor are the government’s preferred way of linking counties so they can be handed powers in areas such as regional housing and transport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    West and North Northamptonshire councils had submitted bids for a South Midlands Combined Authority, while Milton Keynes City Council teamed up with Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton councils to enter a joint expression of interest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    However, in February 2025 the government announced those proposals would not be part of the first tranche of fast-tracked mayoral authorities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Bedford Borough would expect to retain its directly-elected mayor alongside any new mayor in charge of a wider combined authority area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on <\/i>BBC Sounds<\/i>, <\/i>Facebook<\/i>, <\/i>Instagram<\/i> and <\/i>X<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

    [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cp8rgnlev6do”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/c0fb\/live\/f47dd0d0-5f4e-11f1-ae51-c396b5163a64.png”] Universal Destinations & Experiences\/Comcast Under government proposals, regional mayors could be given powers to charge tourists a tax for staying overnight in places like the planned Universal resort in Bedford The Mayor of Bedford says he is concerned a potential tourism tax for people using the planned Universal theme park will not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-2042842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2042842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2042842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2042842\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2042842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2042842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2042842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}