Councillor in ‘hotel tax’ row told to care more
ACONSERVATIVE councillor was told he ‘needs to care more’ after attacking plans for a ‘city tax’ to combat homelessness.
Labour politician Liam O’Rourke’s motion set out proposals for a £1 levy ‘per star, per night’ on stays in Greater Manchester hotels.
The resources chief told a full Rochdale Council meeting the ‘tiny’ charge could raise a ‘massive amount’ of money, which could go towards eradicating rough sleeping, providing ‘structural funding’ rather than charity.
But the proposal which called on the government to hand Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham the relevant tax-raising powers - was criticised by Conservative councillor Peter Winkler.
The Norden politician told the chamber he could ‘not believe what he was reading’ when presented with Coun O’Rourke’s motion, describing it as ‘nothing more than a hotel tax’.
Coun Winkler said he did not see why the hospitality industry should be asked to implement the levy and questioned whether it was proportionate to raise ‘millions of millions of pounds’ for the estimated 268 rough sleepers in Greater Manchester.
He said: “The nearest I can see is that hotels have a room and a bed they offer and homeless people haven’t. That’s the nearest I can come to understanding why hotels should pick up the bill for this.
“It’s like taxing garden centres for the obesity crisis because sugar beet is a plant.”
He continued: “Maybe big hotel groups can swallow that up it,but what about the smaller ones? When people don’t come to hotels because you’ve raised the rate, don’t go to theatres, because they are going to the next city without a tax, or don’t go into restaurants.
“It’s an economy thing and you need to understand how a tax like this affects everything, not just hotels.
Coun Winkler insisted he had no problem with helping the homeless, but said the plan was ‘absolutely ridiculous’.
But the Labour benches hit back.
Coun Daniel Meredith said: “We want to help people in Greater Manchester who don’t have the support, this is only one-pound per star, that won’t discourage people from coming into Greater Manchester and Rochdale.
“I think you just need to care a bit more.”
Pointing the finger at the government’s austerity programme, Coun Pat Dale said the motion was a reminder homelessness in the city region had increased six-fold since 2010.
She added: “Hotels, I believe, would welcome the opportunity to ensure rough sleeping becomes a thing of the past and demonstrate that we, in Greater Manchester, truly care for the most vulnerable.
“And, in so doing, making the region even more attractive to visitors, therefore there will be more money going to theatres, and more money going to shops.”
Tory leader Coun Ashley Dearnley also did not support the motion.
He said visitors to hotels and restaurants should be encouraged to but a charge would be more effective if paid by guests voluntarily.
“The problem with the socialists is they always see pound signs and a tax, and want to tax everyone to the hilt,” he said
But Coun O’Rouke noted that a city tax was common across the United States of America ‘hardly a bastion of socialism and it works there’.
The motion was carried.