Locals could be exempted from tourist tax - mayor

York and North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith has said "everything is on the table" when it comes to the consultation over a planned tourist tax, or visitor levy, for the area - including local residents being exempted.

Skaith was in the BBC Radio York hotseat on Wednesday to answer questions from Joanita Musisi.

The Labour mayor also discussed the possibility of bringing a bit more "Hollywood" to York and North Yorkshire, the pressures felt by small business owners, and a trial run of taking buses under public control, otherwise known as franchising.

Skaith says if the tourist tax is introduced, he would be "looking at" levying visitors to the whole of York and North Yorkshire from the start, instead of introducing it in stages.

Asked, as an example, if someone from Thirsk on holiday in Scarborough would have to pay the tax, he replied: "All these things are on the table and we're working that out now - is that something we implement, yes or no?

"This is why we are in this phase now: speaking to people, understanding what they want to see from it, how it can be collected.

"We still need to understand from government if there are any limitations. But if there are no limitations, I personally would like to see a large amount invested in the tourism and hospitality sector to promote and support it.

"It is a strong sector in terms of the billions it generates and the thousands of jobs it supports. But there is no money really there to grow it."

Skaith was played a clip from Stefan Micevski, general manager at York's Elmbank Hotel and chair of Hospitality Association York.

Mr Micevski said he welcomed a meeting with the mayor - planned for next week to discuss the tourist tax - although he said it was "a bit too late".

Meanwhile, Mr Micevski claimed that of 120 hoteliers and business owners who were members of the association across the county, "not a single one" supports the levy.

Skaith replied: "That's why I'm meeting them next week - to explore and understand their concerns, how we can work to support them, and showcase the positivity of bringing over £50m into the region, year-on-year."

The £50m-a-year figure is based on a £2-a-night charge over the whole region, and is from research carried out by University of York St John experts and academics.

Hospitality Association York responded that the "research is in its very early stages and is not yet ready to be used as credible data".

Asked about Christmas film Tinsel Town - with its A-list cast - being shot in Knaresborough, Skaith said there were "a lot" of people looking to film in York and North Yorkshire - and he wanted to see more.

But, Skaith warned that filming cost businesses and local councils money, and some of the money raised through a tourist tax could help build the industry by covering those costs.

"If we shut a road, if there has to be a police presence, it all costs money. We do get a lot of filming here because of our beautiful nature and historic cities.

"But if we could have a pot of money that we could promote the region to come and do more filming, the growth it would bring to the region, the jobs created, the people eating in the hotels, it would grow and grow."

The mayor spoke on air to Jo Millner, who runs York's cafe Milliefox, and who asked him about "costs rising all the time".

Ms Milner said the chancellor's last two budgets had "crippled" hospitality and she was concerned about redundancies - or, after increased costs next April, having to shut down altogether.

Skaith said he was working to "drive investment" into town centres and hospitality businesses, and said £10m had been made available through his High Streets Fund.

"It's also why we're looking to improve our transport," he said.

"As we know, a lot of people working in hospitality can't afford to live in the region. So how can we help them to travel in and out?"

Asked how frustrated he was with some of the chancellor's budget decisions, Skaith said he welcomed many of the outcomes, like the end of the two-child benefit cap.

But he added: "There have been a lot of frustrations. I'm not happy with everything that happens all the time.

"We are exploring what business rates will mean for our area, as generally speaking we have higher rent levels here, so rates are higher."

Skaith said there was "a whole spectrum" of bus franchising models, and any system for York and North Yorkshire had to account for the region's "vast" size.

He said: "We're looking at how our region links into other areas, what ticketing and routes would look like going over the border.

"We need it to meet the demands of our region, but also not to cost billions of pounds."

The mayor said any new bus system would not see rural communities served by "four or five" buses an hour.

"That would cost far too much money," he said.

Instead, the mayor said, it was about improving reliability.

"People in rural communities need to know that if a bus is due at 10 o'clock, it turns up at 10 o'clock. If it's delayed, their whole day can be thrown out," he explained.