Three Welsh Councils Stop Work on the Visitor Levy
Three Welsh principal councils have stopped work on the visitor levy that the Welsh Government enabled in 2025. The Isle of Anglesey decided not to adopt the charge. Cyngor Gwynedd did not reach a decision. Conwy County Borough Council deferred one. Anglesey decided at a Full Council meeting on 24 September 2026, and Gwynedd reported to its Full Council the same day. UKHospitality, the trade body, recorded the three outcomes in a release dated 28 September 2026.
The release states that Anglesey voted against its plans the previous week and that Gwynedd and Conwy suspended theirs. UKHospitality reads the three outcomes as a message to the United Kingdom Government on a levy in England.
Anglesey: 1,482 of 2,092 Answers Opposed
Anglesey’s own statement on 24 September 2026 said the council would not introduce a visitor levy at present. It cited the challenges already facing its tourism industry. It said officers had recommended against adoption with the Executive’s support earlier that week.
The council’s consultation report records 2,098 responses. Among 2,092 valid answers to the main stance question, 1,482, or 70.8 per cent, opposed the proposal or tended to oppose it, and 525, or 25.1 per cent, supported it or tended to support it. The council’s public statement gives the response count as more than 2,000.
The report sets out the balance by cohort. Of 1,064 valid resident answers, 615, or 57.8 per cent, opposed the levy and 405, or 38.1 per cent, supported it. Of 462 valid business answers, 384, or 83.1 per cent, opposed it. Of 764 valid visitor answers, 643, or 84.2 per cent, opposed it. The report states that its findings are not a representative referendum.
The Cohorts UKHospitality Carries
UKHospitality’s release gives 83 per cent of businesses and 84 per cent of visitors opposed. It says most visitors would consider staying somewhere else or shortening their stay. Those are the council report’s 83.1 per cent and 84.2 per cent, rounded. The release carries no overall Anglesey figure and no resident figure.
Gwynedd: 6,856 Responses, 68.5 Per Cent Opposed
Cyngor Gwynedd received 6,856 responses. Its report records 22.7 per cent support and 68.5 per cent opposition across all respondents. Residents were divided, at 48.7 per cent in support and 43.5 per cent opposed. Businesses opposed the proposal by 79.5 per cent against 14.7 per cent in support. Visitors opposed it by 79.9 per cent against 10.7 per cent in support.
The council did not decide on 24 September 2026. Its report records legal advice that a decision could not be taken in September because the responses could not all be analysed and considered in time. It ties the date to the notice the Welsh Revenue Authority requires. The consultation ran from 20 May to 26 July 2026 and was extended by 11 days at the request of the Gwynedd and Eryri 2035 Partnership.
UKHospitality’s release renders the Gwynedd result as almost 80 per cent of both visitors and businesses opposed. The council report gives 79.9 per cent for visitors and 79.5 per cent for businesses.
Conwy Defers Pending Further Evidence
Conwy members chose to defer a decision until further evidence and practical experience are available, as the BBC reported on 27 September 2026. The BBC recorded the council’s stated concerns as reduced bookings, shorter stays and reduced visitor spend. Gwynedd’s report gives the Conwy response count as 1,300. UKHospitality’s release records 62 per cent of all Conwy respondents as opposed. It gives no response count. The council’s own release page could not be reached on 8 October 2026.
The Charges the Levy Would Have Set
The levy is a per-person, per-night charge on overnight visitor accommodation. Anglesey’s economic impact assessment worked from £1.30 per person per night for standard accommodation and 75p for campsite pitches and shared rooms, with VAT taking those two rates to £1.56 and 90p. The assessment put a per-trip levy at £5.51 for a standard-band United Kingdom visitor, £5.39 for a lower-band visitor and £6.82 for an international visitor, between 1.1 per cent and 2.3 per cent of trip cost.
The BBC has reported that Cardiff is set to become the only Welsh authority to introduce a levy in 2027. It reports the Welsh Government position as that local authorities decide.
The Statute and the Notice Rule
The enabling statute is the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025. It received Royal Assent on 18 September 2025 and grants principal councils the power to introduce a levy on overnight stays in visitor accommodation. Anglesey’s elected members also backed a letter to the Welsh Government calling for a review of the legislation.
The Association’s Case
UKHospitality’s release cites independent economic analysis from Oxford Economics. The release states the analysis shows a holiday tax in England risks 33,000 jobs and would amount to a £1.6 billion tax increase for families and holidaymakers. The release presents both figures as the association’s case against a levy in England.
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the level of public opposition should be a wake-up call to the United Kingdom Government and other councils. David Chapman, executive director of UKHospitality Cymru, said councils were beginning to recognise the reality of the tax. He said he hoped other Welsh councils would look at what happened in Anglesey, Conwy and Gwynedd.