Visitor Levy Announcement: What It Means for York
In the November 2025 Budget, Rachel Reeves confirmed new powers for local areas to introduce a visitor levy — a small charge on overnight stays.
The announcement has already triggered a flurry of mixed reactions across York and North Yorkshire. Some welcome the potential for reinvestment in local services; others worry about impacts on tourism, costs and consistency. It’s clear that a careful balance needs to be struck.
Over the past few years, Good Organisation and York Residents Know have been preparing for such a policy shift — speaking with residents, community groups and the hospitality sector to understand the concerns and thoughts on the opportunities.
Community Insight
Outside Influence is a community-led research initiative run by Good Organisation (Social Ventures) CIC in collaboration with a diverse range of voluntary groups and academic partners across York.
It seeks to strengthen participatory democracy by building knowledge around issues that local people care about, and by collectively working to address shared concerns.
This platform currently serves as an open source repository for our research and is still in development.
As a social enterprise, Good Organisation’s mission is to support some of York’s most marginalised residents to share in the positive benefits of the city’s thriving visitor economy.
Our research themes principally focus on regenerative tourism, alongside the underlying causes of social and financial exclusion from a lived experience perspective.
York is under pressure. Over-tourism is driving up rents, shrinking the supply of homes, and turning the city centre into a stage set for visitors instead of a place for residents to live and belong. If we don’t change course, York risks becoming a city people visit — but can no longer afford to call home.
Outside Influence is here to challenge that. We believe tourism should strengthen a city, not hollow it out. That means listening to residents, backing local businesses and community ownership, and keeping the real value of tourism in York.
Our approach is community-led tourism: residents shaping the stories, experiences and benefits of the visitor economy. Projects like York Residents Know show what happens when people who live here take the lead—more grounded experiences for visitors, and a fairer city for everyone.
Listen & Learn
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York Residents Know
Community-Led Solutions
York Residents Know is a citizen-led advocacy group committed to promoting a balanced approach to tourism within the city.
January 2025
People’s insights can help us problem solve, innovate and create effective change.
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The Vision
HUMAN
= IndividuaI
Inviting people to share experiences and ideas.
REALITY
= Experience Feedback Loop
Hearing and learning from others.
AGENCY
= Meaningful Action
Do something with what you have learned.
Get in touch to find out more
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Show & Tell
Unveiling Human Stories and Research
We’re excited to share our first project
The first project marks an exciting new collaboration between Good Organisation and LIFE (Lived Insights From Experience) relaying peoples struggles and celebrations of unsettled living in York.
Want to see more?
Head over to the Community Links page for all available content.
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- Transcript
A successful transition. He is now living in his own flat and supports his community.
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“My interest is not data, it’s the world. And part of world development you can see in numbers. Others, like human rights, empowerment of women, it’s very difficult to measure in numbers.”
Hans Rosling