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Tourism tax on the First Minister’s menu for Wales

The First Minister has confirmed the Welsh Government will explore the introduction of a tourism tax in Wales. The Welsh Government has published its programme for government which includes plans to ‘consult on legislation permitting local authorities to raise a tourism levy.’ Commenting after First Minister’s Questions, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies said: “Labour’s plans to introduce a tourism tax and a potential income tax rise...

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Planning Inspectorate guidance updated

The Planning Inspectorate has updated its guidance on planning applications in response to the Government announcement regarding the delay to Step 4. The effect of the update is to say that they are continuing to follow Government advice and most of their staff will continue to work from home (although they are undertaking some site...

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Step 4 postponed

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was joined by Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, and Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance, at a press briefing last night (14 June).  As not all of four tests for proceeding to Step 4 in the UK Government roadmap have been met, Step 4 openings will be delayed until...

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Tourism Recovery Plan published

The twin targets of the Government’s Tourism Recovery Plan which has just been published are to rebuild domestic back to 2019 levels by 2022 and to rebuild inbound tourism back to 2019 levels by 2023. Among the initiatives are: A new Rail Pass “Working with the Rail Delivery Group, the government and VisitBritain will pursue...

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£166 million cash injection for green technology

The green technology required to help the UK meet its world-leading climate targets has been given a £166.5 million cash injection, six months on from the publication of the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The multi-million pound investment, awarded to innovators, businesses, academics and heavy industry across the UK, will the...

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Scotland’s journey out of lockdown

In Scotland, the journey out of lockdown will take a step forward on Saturday 5 June when large swathes of the country move into level one, allowing more people to meet outdoors, and inside cafes, pubs and restaurants. However, a large number of local authorities in the central belt will remain in level two where...

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R Number and growth rate may put Step 4 date back

The latest R Number and growth rate figures as the Late Spring Bank Holiday approached were, respectively, 1.0 to 1.1 and 0% to +3%. This is the first time since 15 January that the R Number has been greater than 1 and that the Growth Rate has been positive since that date. If this continues...

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Domestic forecast for Britain updated 7 May

VisitBritain has run a new domestic tourism forecast, which represents a snapshot in time and makes a number of assumptions to provide an estimate of impact.  It forecasts £13.5bn in domestic overnight tourism spending – 38% growth on 2020 but only 55% of the 2019 level.  The national tourism organisation stresses that subsequent developments could...

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Travel guidance amended for areas with high incidence of Indian variant

The Government has changed the travel guidance that applies to areas with the new variant (often referred to as the variant first identified in India). It is spreading fastest in: Bedford Borough Council Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Burnley Borough Council Kirklees Council Leicester City Council London Borough of Hounslow North...

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New Cabinet for Scotland

The new Scottish Government Cabinet has been unveiled. Nicola Sturgeon is First Minister and Michael Matheson remains Cabinet Secretary for Transport. A full list of appointments can be found below: Nicola Sturgeon – First Minister John Swinney – Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes – Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Humza Yousaf – Cabinet...