New Glasgow visitor levy could be used to address city centre safety concerns, says council leader

Funds raised from a new visitor levy could be used to address safety issues within Glasgow city centre.

The proposal was suggested by Glasgow City Council leader Ricky Bell at the State of the City Economy conference at the Old Fruitmarket on Friday.

In response to growing concerns over anti-social behaviour and violence within the city centre, a new hub shared by Police Scotland and partners could be created in St Enoch Square.

This would be funded through the visitor levy due to come into force on January 27, 2027.

A 5% charge will be added to all overnight accommodation bills, including hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs, and self-catering properties.

Bell made it clear that several issues needed to be addressed with more resources dedicated to violence, safety, graffiti and even chewing gum.

He said: “We need to put more money into the issues that people are telling us they want to see action on. Safety. Graffiti. Cleanliness.

“I’m proposing to use our upcoming visitor levy to directly tackle these issues that are causing such concern to residents and businesses.

“On chewing gum, a real blight on our city streets, we want to create a dedicated resource to remove it.

“The new city centre BID has been doing a lot of work with their clean teams on graffiti removal; and we’ll use visitor levies to enhance that work too.”

What else did Mr Bell propose during his speech?

In addition to improving city centre safety, Bell announced free weekend parking at council-run car parks across the Glasgow in the run-up to Christmas.

He also confirmed plans to overhaul the city’s film charter and create ‘Screen Glasgow’ – a one-stop-shop for everyone involved in the screen sector and cementing Glasgow’s status as a world-renowned filming location.

Also touted at the conference was the Talent Lab, a new modern apprenticeship scheme based in Govan, which will help young people into high-growth industries, from medtech and precision medicine to critical technologies and the creative industries.