Perthshire Businesses Hold Tourist Tax Meeting and Invite Councillors, Who Are Not Sure If They’re Allowed to Come
Elected members 'checking with officers whether they are permitted to attend things in their own area'.
Crieff Hydro, venue for a meeting that councillors are cordially invited to, possibly. Photo: Josie Campbell, “Crieff Hydro”, via Wikimedia Commons (geograph.org.uk), CC BY-SA 2.0
CRIEFF — More than 100 Perthshire tourism businesses opposed to the council’s proposed £4-a-night visitor levy have called a public meeting at Crieff Hydro next week, and have taken the unusual step of inviting every councillor in Perth and Kinross, who are now frantically trying to find out whether they’re allowed to go.
The move follows claims that an earlier meeting with council officials went ahead after officers decided “not to extend invitations to elected members”, the councillors being the people who will actually vote on the levy.
“It’s a fascinating constitutional position,” said Perthetic’s Local Democracy Analyst. “The councillors decide. But the officers decide whether the councillors are in the room where it’s decided. And the officers can’t decide anything, because that’s the councillors’ job. It’s like a ceilidh where the band won’t let the dancers in.”
Campsite owners point out the flat £4 charge would add around 30% to a night under canvas but less than half a percent to a five-star suite, a ratio described by one campsite operator as “the most Perthshire thing I’ve ever heard. They’ve found a way to make the tent pay more than the spa.”
Officials insist no decision has been taken, the consultation runs until 11 November and the council faces “increasing financial pressures”. Meanwhile, the council’s own impact assessment suggested even a £3 levy could cost the local economy £6 million, which the council has described as “a figure” and businesses have described as “a lot.”
At Crieff Hydro, staff are preparing for the meeting with extra chairs, a reserved row marked “Councillors (TBC)”, and a smaller row behind it marked “Officers, to decide whether row in front may be used.”
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