A £26m Tourist Tax, And Scarborough Might Not See Its Share
🌟 The Scarborough Rundown - Events, Activities, Live Music & Good News! 😊
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Hey Scarborough! Here's what's happening this week 👋
Somebody has finally put a number on charging visitors to stay here: a pound a night, which across York and North Yorkshire works out at about £26 million a year. The same report then points out, fairly quietly, that without a formula for sharing it out, Scarborough, Whitby and Filey could end up with the wear and tear of tourism and not much of the money. Nothing's decided, and nothing happens before 2027 at the earliest, but the warning's on the record now.
Closer to home, the overnight campervan ban has spread to Belvedere Road and Holbeck Road, after the original ban mostly moved the vans a few streets along. At Cayton Bay the signs were once torn down and thrown off the cliff, so it's fair to say not everyone's on board.
And the council wants a private developer to take on the Town Hall, the old Futurist site and the Market Hall, along with fifteen car parks, provided the parking income stays put. Its own paperwork names the risk at the Town Hall once the council moves out: dereliction.
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📰 Scarborough Life
🏛️ Town Centre Buildings Face Redevelopment. North Yorkshire Council wants a private developer to revive the Town Hall, the old Futurist Theatre site and Market Hall - fifteen car parks are also included, so long as the council's takings aren't touched.
🚐 Campervan Ban Spreads To More Streets. North Yorkshire Council has widened its overnight campervan ban to Belvedere Road and Holbeck Road, after complaints that it shifted problems elsewhere. Cayton Bay's warning signs were once torn down and hurled off the cliff.
🍺 Heartbeat Star Takes Over Whitby Pub. Tricia Penrose, who played Gina Ward on Heartbeat, is now co-owner of Whitby's Goathland Hotel - the show's old Aidensfield Arms - drawing visitors from Norway to Australia. Sixteen years on, she's back behind the same bar.
🎸 Punk Festival Returns To The Spa. The Scarborough Punk Festival brings punk, oi and hardcore acts to Scarborough Spa on 3-4 April 2027. The crowd, going by past years, skews rather more grown-up than the genre's reputation suggests.
🏗️ Council Housebuilder Braced For £5.8m Loss. Brierley Homes, the council's development arm, is forecast to lose £5.8 million this year, even as new affordable homes rise in Whitby. Much of the shortfall is interest owed back to the council.
🎇 Drones Replace Fireworks For Light Parade. A twelve-minute drone display will light up Scarborough's South Bay on Saturday, following last month's heat-warning fireworks ban. Like fireworks, the display remains weather-dependent, with a 15-minute buffer built into the start time.
💷 North Yorkshire Weighs Visitor Levy. A new report outlines three ways to charge an overnight visitor levy across North Yorkshire, potentially raising £26 million a year - though Scarborough could see little of it without a fairer allocation formula.
🐕 Whitby Pub Named Most Dog-Friendly. The Penny Hedge in Whitby has been named Yorkshire's most dog-friendly pub, with a dedicated dog station and gated garden.
⚖️ Care Home Manager Jailed For Theft. Michaela Golding, manager of a Filey care home, stole £50,000 from residents over nearly two years, falsifying invoices to hide the theft. She has been jailed after admitting fraud and false accounting.
🌉 Railway Bridge Fund Passes Halfway Mark. A fundraising campaign for Bridge 42 on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has hit £400,000 - half its £800,000 target. Staff will mark it with a bungee jump off a nearby viaduct.
🪁 Filey Kite Festival Adds Friday Flight. Filey Kite Festival returns 18-20 September, opening with a new Friday evening flight of illuminated kites. Past years have drawn up to 10,000 visitors - many just there for the flying cows.
⚓ Boat Lift Plan Promises £1.4m Boost. A harbour advisory board chairman says a boat lift and marina expansion at Scarborough Harbour could bring in £1.4 million a year. The council's current funding bid, though, covers only a £200,000 feasibility study.
🚌 400 Bus Workers Strike Again. Staff at Scarborough's Alexander Dennis will walk out for almost two weeks after rejecting a two-year pay offer. The company secured a £57 million bus contract with Liverpool the same month.
🏠 18 Homes Planned For Snainton Site. Developers have resubmitted a bid for 18 homes on land at Carr House, near Scarborough, after a 19-home scheme was refused and its appeal dismissed. The new plan trims the total by just one home.
⭐ Readers’ Choice: Top Posts From Last Issue
🚢 Dunkirk Little Ship Up for Sale. The Regal Lady, moored in Scarborough harbour since 1987, is listed at £250,000 as a bar and cafe.
🏢 Council Staff Decamp to the A64. The move into Resolution House will cost taxpayers £3 million, though officials say it avoids £19 million in repairs to ageing offices.
🔔 Ring's video doorbell just dropped in price. The Battery Video Doorbell Plus is over 50% off; you can see and speak to visitors and watch deliveries. Check the deal. Ad
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🎸Events, Activities & Live Music
We keep it short here - head to our EVENTS PAGE for links and future events.
Friday, 11 September
09:45 🎯 Flat Green Bowling - Burniston & Cloughton Bowling Club, Scarborough
09:45 🎯 Social Bowls - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
10:00 💃 Easy Sequence Dancing - Cayton Village Hall, Scarborough
10:00 🎨 Exhibition: Scarborough Pride 2025 Images - Glass Box Gallery, Scarborough
13:00 🧵 SEWcial Sewing & Textile Craft - Stitched by the Beach, Scarborough
14:00 📖 Poetry Appreciation Reading Group - Newby & Scalby Library, Scarborough
18:00 💃 Line Dancing - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
19:00 🎧 Rebel Radics Sound System in Session - Scarborough Railway Men's Club
19:00 🎶 Chris & Tony Griffiths - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
19:00 🎭 A Night at the Musicals - YMCA, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Punk Pride - The Cask & Keg, Scarborough
19:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Filey & Coast Americana Festival - Filey Evron Centre
20:30 🎤 Open Mic Night - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
21:00 🎯 Bongo's Bingo - Scarborough Spa
21:00 🎶 Live Music Night - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough
Saturday, 12 September
09:00 🏃 Scarborough Woodlands Parkrun - Graffiti Bridge nr Sainsbury's, Scarborough
11:30 🧘 Yogalates - Alexandra Community Centre, Scarborough
12:00 🏳️🌈 Scarborough Pride - Scarborough Spa
12:00 🎭 Backstage: The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
12:45 💃 Blisters Rola Disco - Pindar Leisure Centre, Scarborough
13:45 🎯 Flat Green Bowling - Burniston & Cloughton Bowling Club, Scarborough
14:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
18:00 🏳️🌈 Scarborough Pride Afterparty - The Distiller's Lounge, Scarborough
19:00 💃 Easy Sequence Dancing - Cayton Village Hall, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Rachel Croft - The Evron Centre, Filey
19:30 🎭 The Trial of Romeo Oscar - Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Filey & Coast Americana Festival - Filey Evron Centre
20:00 🎶 Homemade Monsters - Chaplins Bar, Scarborough
20:00 🎆 Goldwing Light Parade & Drone Show - West Pier, Scarborough
20:30 🎧 Eastside Soul Club - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
21:00 🎶 Live Music Night - The Merchant Irish Bar, Scarborough
Sunday, 13 September
10:00 🛍️ Scarborough Record Fair - Autumn 2026 - Scarborough Market Hall & Vaults
10:00 🎨 Exhibition: Scarborough Pride 2025 Images - Glass Box Gallery, Scarborough
10:00 💃 Motiv8 Dance Fitness - Scarborough Spa
10:00 🛍️ Coble Market - Scarborough Market Hall & Vaults
16:00 🎤 Under 20s Open Mic - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
17:00 🎯 Sunday Socials - Haddock Hideaway, Scarborough
17:30 🎬 Laurel & Hardy's Yorkshire Adventures - North Bay Playhouse, Scarborough
19:00 🎶 Sunday Sessions - The Crescent Lounge, Scarborough
19:30 🎶 Filey & Coast Americana Festival - Filey Evron Centre
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👋 That’s All For Now 🎬 From town to coast, there's always something happening in Scarborough. Sue | Editor | The Scarborough Rundown |  |
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