Richmond's council leader, Cllr Gareth Roberts, has slammed yesterday's (Thursday, 10 September) Tourist Tax announcement, labelling it as another cash grab from the borough.

Cllr Roberts said: "The idea of a Tourist Tax has merit, but for all of the money to be taken out of Richmond and grabbed by the Mayor of London to add to his already swollen coffers leaving nothing for the borough is simply wrong."

He added: "We love being a beacon for tourists, but welcome as our visitors are, they come with a price tag.

"More street bins need emptying, there's more wear and tear on our roads and pavements, more impact on our parks and open spaces – and that's before we consider how much we spend promoting the borough as a great place to visit.

"All this costs money, lots of money, so for the money which is raised in Richmond from a Tourist Tax to go straight to City Hall is just another kick in the teeth for Richmond."

Cllr Roberts said the news of the Tourist Tax follows the recent government decision to strip Richmond of nearly 60% of funding to prop up councils elsewhere, and also follows the announcement of the Mansion Tax, which will see owners of some borough properties being forced to pay extra with none of the money being earmarked for local services.

He added: "Whether we're talking about the 600,000 annual overnight visitors or the millions who flock to Richmond during the day, tourists are a welcome boost to Richmond, but it's one that comes with a price tag.

"All we're asking for is fairness, for the government to recognise that they're already stripping us of key funding and that this is one way in which we could have had some more money coming into the borough.

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"Taking money away from boroughs and handing it to the Mayor make absolutely no sense for a Government that talks a big game on devolving powers. This just puts more power and more money into the hands of the Mayor who already has quite enough of both."

Richmond welcomes around 4.5 million visitors every year. They come to Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace and Richmond Park, and to see a borough that has become an international filming location, including for Ted Lasso.

Around 600,000 visitors a year stay overnight. The rest are day visitors – but they still use Richmond Borough's roads, parks, public spaces and local services.