Decision

(Councillor Leadbetter declared a personal interest in this matter by virtue of being a Director of Visit Devon).

Councillor Brazil MOVED and Councillor Arnott SECONDED that the Cabinet’s advice be accepted and that the response to the Notice of Motion be as follows:

that Council be recommended to:

(a) Note the Notice of Motion relating to a potential Visitor Levy or Tourist Tax in Devon.

(b) Note that Devon County Council does not currently hold powers to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy and that such powers currently sit with Mayoral Strategic Authorities.

(c) Reaffirm the Council’s support for Devon’s visitor economy and its importance to local businesses, employment and communities across the county.

(d) Agree that any future consideration of visitor levy arrangements should be evidence-led, developed in partnership with the tourism sector and subject to appropriate economic impact assessment.

(e) Support continued partnership working with local authorities, tourism bodies, businesses and the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority to promote Devon as a competitive and sustainable visitor destination.

(f) Where powers are granted to the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority to raise a visitor levy, strongly advocate that any funding raised should be ring-fenced to support the tourism sector and be additional to existing funding streams.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Brazil was then put to the vote and declared CARRIED and subsequently thereafter also CARRIED as the substantive motion.