Ilkley's MP Robbie Moore has met with Tobias Hammond, County Lead Volunteer for West Yorkshire Scouts to hear concerns about the potential impact of a proposed visitor levy on residential experiences for young people.
During the meeting, Tobias discussed how additional costs on accommodation could affect the ability of youth groups, schools and voluntary organisations to provide affordable nights away for children and young people. Nights away - including camps, residential trips and outdoor adventures are a core part of the programme delivered by Scouts and many other youth organisations, helping young people develop confidence, independence, teamwork and resilience.
Following the meeting, Mr Moore expressed his support for ensuring that young people continue to have access to these important opportunities.
Leaders within West Yorkshire Scouts emphasised that their primary responsibility is to the young people in their care and allowing them to gain skills for life. Leaders’ roles are to support young people in their sections, groups, districts or counties, and their duty of care is to these young people. Ensuring that activities such as camps and residential experiences remain accessible and affordable is therefore a key concern for volunteers working with young people across the county.
As part of this work, Scouts continues to highlight how policy decisions can affect opportunities for young people. The movement remains politically neutral and is not associated with any political party. It does not endorse candidates or engage in power struggles.
All Members of Parliament across West Yorkshire have been contacted to invite them to join the conversation and understand the potential impact on youth organisations. Meetings have already been arranged with MPs from across different political parties in the coming weeks.
Robbie Moore MP said:
“Our local scout groups do incredible work day in, day out and having met with Toby this week, he is absolutely right. It is completely astonishing that the Mayor is thinking about whacking volunteer-led groups like our local Scouts with this tax. Keighley and Ilkley’s Scout community have my complete support and I will be raising this directly with the Mayor in my role as local MP.
"More broadly, I am opposed to introducing a visitor tax in the Bradford District full stop. What local leaders don’t seem to understand is that Bradford isn’t Amsterdam or Rome. The majority of visitors coming to our area - just like the young people visiting for fantastic educational experiences at Low Wood - come from other parts of the UK. So really, this is just yet another tax on British taxpayers.
"In my view, the Mayor of West Yorkshire needs to completely rethink this tax.”
Tobias Hammond, County Lead Volunteer, West Yorkshire Scouts said:
“Residential experiences and nights away are some of the most powerful opportunities we offer young people. They help build confidence, independence and friendships that last a lifetime. Our volunteers work incredibly hard to make sure these opportunities are accessible to as many young people as possible. We welcome the chance to speak with MPs from across the political spectrum about how we can continue to support the young people in our care.”
The discussions form part of a wider effort to ensure that any future policy changes consider the impact on youth organisations and the thousands of young people across West Yorkshire who benefit from outdoor learning and residential experiences each year.
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 Low Wood has never been more important.
However, under current proposals, accommodation used for youth development could fall within scope of the levy—even when it is:
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Run by volunteers
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Delivered for charitable purposes
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Operating on tight budgets
Scouts are calling for:
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A national exemption for under-18s
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A national exemption for charity-run campsites, hostels and activity centres
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No additional administrative burdens for small-scale, volunteer-run facilities
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