A Gwent council has confirmed that it has no current plan to opt into the Welsh Government’s tourism tax, which passed through the Senedd last week.

The MS for Monmouth, Peter Fox, had previously called on Monmouthshire County Council to confirm that it would not be opting into the levy which Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford, would cost less than the price of a sausage roll per person. That story can be found by clicking here.

Speaking to the Chronicle, the authority has confirmed its position has not changed on the issue but it is working to develop its own plan.

“Although the legislation has now been passed, our position has not changed,” a spokesperson said.

“We have no immediate plans to introduce a visitor levy in Monmouthshire.”

“We are currently working with the tourism sector and out towns to develop an ambitions Destination Management Plan. We will work closely with local tourism providers to fully consider the advantages and disadvantages and understand whether a visitor levy is right for our county, and how the money raised could improve our County’s welcome for visitors.”

The council did, however, confirm that it welcomes one aspect of the new legislation which will require all visitor accommodations to register for the scheme. Even if a local authority introduced the additional charge for the whole county.

No decision has yet been taken in neighbouring Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen, while Newport Council says it has no plans to introduce a levy.

Even if a local authority does plan to introduce the levy, they will not be able to start charging the £1.30 per person, per night until 2027 and with a Senedd election looming and Labour languishing in the polls, it is plausible that the policy may never take effect. But eyes are now on councils across Wales to see what they will do.