PARIS does it and so does Barcelona – so why not Fareham?

It's not known as one of the south's great tourist destinations but could the Hampshire borough charge a visitor tax to supplement the public purse?

Councillor Roger Price, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Fareham Borough Council, thinks it could and should.

He has has suggested introducing a tourism tax of £1 to £3 per night people staying in hotels and B&Bs in the borough.

He claims the tax could even raise enough revenue to do away with the need for increasing council tax.

Cllr Price said: “Travel anywhere in the world like Paris and Barcelona, you would usually you would pay a tax when occupying in accommodation including bed and breakfasts and hotels.

“The concept has never been introduced to the UK, but the concept would certainly help to relieve local authority budgets and it is certainly an innovative way of raising tens of thousands of pounds.

“People visiting Fareham use our services and are essentially getting free benefits so a small contribution of several pounds will help. We don’t have as much tourism as Portsmouth or Southampton but we certainly have a lot of visitors that could potentially contribute to the economy.”

A so-called ‘tourism tax’ is illegal in the UK and would require central government to amend the Local Government Act 1972 to make it possible.

Councillors in Bath, who need to fill a £37m hole in the council’s finances are looking at the possibility of a tourist tax as is London, where a cross-party finance commission recommended introducing the visitor levy and the idea has received the backing of Mayor Sadiq Khan.

However, Cllr Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council, dismissed the idea as "ridiculous".

“It’s a ridiculous idea, why would we want to tax overnight visitors to the town, the majority of visitors are here on business," he said.

“We have one of the lowest council tax rates in England and have not made any cuts so why would we want to introduce another tax despite the budget being approved with no amendments.”

The Fareham Liberal Democrats made no announcements to proposed Fareham budget for 2017/18 however Councillor Price added the concept should be seriously considered.

So what is there to see in Fareham?

According to Trip Advisor the top four attractions are Titchfield Haven nature reserve, Titchfield Abbey, Holy Hill Woodland Park and Hill Head beach.

After that things go down hill a little as number five is 'Taxis and Shuttles' with links to the car companies which can take you out of the borough to other attractions such as the Mary Rose.

Number six is Westbury Manor Museum, currently closed for refurbishment.

At number seven is "games and entertainment centres" which includes Rock Up, Red Spider Climbing and Solskate Roller Disco.

The borough's two cinemas - Cineworld at Whiteley and The Reel - come in at number eight and Funkidories play centre number nine.

Tenth spot goes to Fareham Shopping centre, much of which is earmarked for redevelopment by the borough council.

A glaring omission is the imposing and impressive Portchester Castle which is just within the borough boundary.