The Mayor of London has announced that London's congestion charge will be increased from £11.50 to £15 from 22 June 2020 with new imposed regulations on weekends and extended out of rush hour. Ross Kirton, head of UK Leisure Agency at Olliers International comments on the impact this will have on theleisure and hospitality industry.
“Despite the UK Government’s advice to avoid public transport, Sadiq Khan, London Mayor has now dealt the leisure and hospitality sector with another kick in the teeth by increasing London’s congestion charge and hours from next month.
“After a period of forced closure and a further period of significantly reduced capacity looming, the leisure and hospitality industry was looking for a helping hand however this new tax will have a significant impact on audience numbers at tourist attractions in the capital and revenues will be dealt another blow at the worst possible time.
“Central London and the West End in particular is rich with cultural and leisure destinations such as theatres, museums and tourist attractions, much loved by a number of generations but many of these people are now unlikely to travel on the underground train and despite driving into the city centre being an alternative method, this new additional levy will most definitely perturb visitors, so that many simply won’t go into the West End at all.
“A few years ago, Westminster Council looked to introduce car parking charges on evenings and Sunday. This proposal was promptly dropped once the impact on the leisure sector was understood. The Mayor of London would have been wise to re-visit this and understand the impact increasing the congestion will have on the leisure sector in the capital.”
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