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BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Lake District tourist congestion charge 'could ease parking problems'
A congestion charge for visitors to the Lake District could help ease parking problems in the national park, a think tank leader has parking in some areas can stop buses, lorries and emergency vehicles getting past at busy Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the revenue could be used to fund better public transport and it "might be one of the answers we need to consider".Local businessman Mike Anderton said he disagreed as it would "put tourists off". Mr Murison, whose group looks at ways to boost economic growth in the north of England, said it was important that people could travel to the Lakes "much more easily by public transport", offering an alternative to devolution advocate said a future Cumbria mayor could request the power to impose a congestion charge."Asking those visitors who may continue to drive their cars to pay a congestion charge, I think that might be one of the answers we need to consider," he said. 'Car park needed' The idea has been criticised by Mr Anderton, who owns the Swinside Inn in the Newlands Valley"I don't think it's a good idea, I think it's going to put tourists off," he said."A lot of people in the local area make their living off tourists." He said too many people parking on the road near Cat Bells fell was a serious problem and had caused the local bus service to be cancelled multiple solution, he said, was to build a car Anderton has submitted a planning application to create one at Ullock Moss, after a previous proposal at the same site was Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has also previously turned down plans for a permanent facility at Cupboard Field, where Mr Anderton operates a temporary car park for 28 days a year. Alan Ashby, an opponent of the Ullock Moss scheme from nearby Portinscale, said a car park would not solve the said it would lead to "more car visitors coming through the village" on their way to reach would lead to "more safety issues", he said, with vehicles squeezing through tight spaces to get past each other and parked Anderton said a car park would not attract more about the wider issue of parking in the Lake District, Emma Moody, a sustainable transport adviser for the LDNPA, said it was "really important we give people alternatives to driving."She said the authority had helped fund a shuttle bus in Wasdale and was encouraging visitors "to consider travelling by bus if it's convenient for them." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The next English getaway where you could pay a tax to visit
A leading policy voice for the north of England has suggested a congestion charge for the Lake District. Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, proposed the charge to improve the environment and enhance local bus services. The suggestion follows new data revealing a 14 per cent drop in overall visitors and an 18 per cent fall in day visitors to the Lake District in 2024 compared to 2019. Murison argued that funds raised could address underfunding in local government and provide better public transport options for visitors. He suggested a variable charge, targeting peak congestion times in summer, with free park and ride services offered as compensation.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Why the Lake District could drop a congestion charge on summer visitors
As Cumbria reports a slump in visitor numbers, a leading voice in policy for the north of England has said a congestion charge for the Lake District is worth considering. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said funds raised could be used to improve the environment and boost the local bus service. He told The Independent 's daily travel podcast: 'On those summer days when people are sat in hours and hours of traffic, I'm sure many of them would want to have access to a good public transport system, which currently there's no other way of paying for. 'If people come from around the world and experience the centre of Ambleside – full of cars on a on a hot day and lots of smoke and traffic fumes – that isn't the product we're trying to sell international visitors. 'A visitor charge might work in big cities, but a congestion charge might work better in the Lake District, because that congestion charge in the Lake District would probably be variable. 'You wouldn't charge it in the winter, you wouldn't charge it on quiet days outside the school holidays, but what you would do is probably target charging people when congestion was a natural issue and then put in place free park and ride and other services as a compensation to those that would otherwise have to pay it.' New data from the Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor revealed a 14 per cent drop in the number of visitors to the Lake District overall and a 18 percent fall in day visitors in 2024 compared with 2019. There was a smaller fall in both visitors and revenue over the previous year. Mr Murison said: 'Compared to European destinations, we don't offer the things that many visitors expect, and that's because of our wide underfunding of local government, which means that visitors come to the UK, but they maybe don't get the brilliant experience we would want to give them. 'You can make a strong argument that the council there, for example, in Westmoreland & Furness, has a significant financial burden that comes from the visitor economy. 'If you could invest more in the proposition, you can make travel more sustainable 'I'm not wedded to one particular solution to find the way to raise the money to invest in growing sustainably our tourism economy – I just want to find a way of doing it.'
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Council tax bills 'set to rise in Southern England' under Labour plan to send more taxpayers' money to the North
Council taxpayers in the south of England could see their rates rise as the government seeks to send more money to the North, it was warned today. Local Government Minister Jim McMahon this morning unveiled proposals to 'modernise' they system and send more than £2billion 'to the places and communities that need it most'. Critics fear that this means that central government funding will be sent away from the South to poorer areas in the North and Midlands - with southern councils forced to make up the shortfall by increasing tax locally, or cut services. One told the Times: 'There is no doubt at all that it is going to be polarising. 'For a lot of councils in richer parts of the country the current system works quite well for them and they're going to lose funding. 'A lot of councils in rural areas are also worried that they will see their funding diverted into deprived urban areas.' But supporters argue that poorer areas have been relatively overtaxed and underfunded compared to the South, where many affluent areas charge lower tax rates. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, pointed out that the owner of a Band D property in Hartlepool pays £2,498.53, while the owner of a £10 million mansion in Wandsworth pays just £1,980.15 in the same band. 'Asking those residents to contribute closer to what people in the North are already paying is reasonable,' he added. 'In fact, a full revaluation of council tax bands, which we believe is long overdue, would have resulted in even higher bills for many London boroughs, where properties are routinely placed in bands far lower than they would be under a fair system.' In a written statement to MPs today Mr McMahon said too many areas 'have felt the combined impact of reducing government support and low historical tax bases from which to raise income, coupled with high levels of need driving up demand for services'. 'It is not fair that people in these places too often see council tax bills hike while neighbourhood services which make areas clean, safe and decent have felt the brunt of reductions,' he said. 'The current funding system is a decade old and reinforces the divide between deprived places and the rest of the country – that's why we are taking action where previous government failed.' Last week the Spending Review revealed that the average home's council tax bill will increase by £359 by 2029. Ministers are working on the basis that councils will increase the rate by 5 per cent a year for the next three years. The rise will fund the settlement for local authorities, which includes social care – an issue on which Labour is yet to outline its policy.
