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Ilkley scouts voice concerns over visitor levies

Friday, 27 February 2026 07:00

Scouts in Ilkley are raising serious concerns about proposed new Mayoral powers to introduce visitor levies on overnight stays in England.

They warn that without exemptions, life-changing local opportunities for young people could be put at risk.

At the heart of local Scouting in Ilkley is Curly Hill Campsite, a much-loved site that provides outdoor adventure, teamwork and skills development for young people across Ilkley and the wider Wharfedale area. Run for charitable purposes and supported by volunteers, Curly Hill enables hundreds of children each year to experience nights away in nature, often for the very first time.

Camps and residentials are central to Scouts’ work, with 450,000 young people nationally having a nights away experience last year. These experiences build resilience, confidence and independence—helping young people learn to think for themselves, work as a team and develop lasting friendships.

Independent research from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation through its Learning Away programme highlights the impact of residential experiences:

  • 71% of young people reported improved relationships with peers

  • 87% felt more confident to try new things

At a time when nearly three quarters of young people spend most of their free time on screens, access to outdoor experiences like those at Curly Hill has never been more important—particularly in a community that values access to green space, wellbeing and youth opportunity.

However, under current proposals, accommodation used for youth development could fall within scope of the levy—even when it is:

  • Run by volunteers

  • Delivered for charitable purposes

  • Operating on tight budgets

There are particular concerns that the levy could apply not only to campsites like Curly Hill but even to Scout groups holding sleepovers at their own headquarters. This would introduce additional costs and administrative burdens for volunteer-led groups, potentially reducing the number of residential opportunities they can offer.

Pictured above, Tobias Hammond, Lead Volunteer for West Yorkshire Scouts, said:

“Curly Hill Campsite is not a commercial tourism venue - it is a community asset dedicated to youth development. We recognise the government’s aims in supporting local investment, but youth residentials must be treated differently from commercial overnight stays. Without sensible exemptions, this proposal risks putting vital outdoor experiences out of reach for some of the young people in Ilkley who would benefit from them most.”

Dwayne Fields, Chief Scout, added:

“We're deeply concerned about a proposed new Mayoral power to create visitor levies on overnight stays in England. Unless important exemptions are made, these life-changing opportunities will be put out of reach for many.”

Scouts are calling for:

  • A national exemption for under-18s

  • A national exemption for charity-run campsites, hostels and activity centres

  • No additional administrative burdens for small-scale, volunteer-run facilities

Local leaders are urging decision-makers to ensure that legislation designed to support tourism does not unintentionally undermine youth development or restrict access to the outdoors for young people in Ilkley and across West Yorkshire.

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