Call for residents to shape how Visitor Levy funds are spent in their communities

First phase of Your Voice: Visitor Levy is now open for ideas until 6 December 2026

Residents across Edinburgh are being asked to share their ideas for how some of the funds raised through the Visitor Levy should be spent in their local areas, as the Council launches Your Voice: Visitor Levy.

Each of the Council’s 17 electoral wards will benefit from a share of £1.7m over three years, allowing the benefits to reach every part of the city. Residents will directly decide how to spend the portion of Levy income in their local ward via a new online voting portal.

The initiative is a new Participatory Budgeting programme, which gives residents the chance to suggest ideas and vote on how public money should be spent. Visitor Levy funding must be reinvested in facilities and services used by visitors, helping to improve Edinburgh for residents, workers and students too.

The share of the fund that each ward will receive is influenced by local needs and population, with areas of greater economic need getting a slightly larger share.

Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said:

This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to help shape how a portion of Visitor Levy funding is invested in neighbourhoods across the city. We want to hear directly from local people about what matters most in your communities – and encourage visitors to see more of the Edinburgh’s wonderful neighbourhoods beyond the city centre.

The ideas you share now will help community groups in your area develop proposals that reflect genuine local priorities and deliver things that benefit both residents and visitors.

We know communities themselves are best placed to identify local needs and opportunities, and we're keen to make participation easy as possible with plenty of opportunities to participate and have your say.

Whether it's improving parks and public spaces, supporting cultural activities, celebrating local heritage, or creating new opportunities for sport and physical activities, now is your chance to tell us what would make the biggest difference where you live. These suggested themes are just a starting point, and we’re looking forward to seeing the first sets of project ideas emerge and take shape in every corner of the city.

The first stage of the initiative opens today with a call for communities and residents to say how they want the money to be spent in their area.

Step 1: Tell us your ideas (9 November – 6 December 2026)
Before applications open, we want to hear from local people about what matters to them most. Ideas shared will help community groups and charities put forward projects that reflect real local needs.

People can take part in two ways:

  1. Submit ideas online: tell us what kind of projects you want to see funded in your local community.
  2. Invite the Your Voice team to a meeting: community groups with a meeting or network event between 9 November and 6 December can get in touch at yourvoice@edinburgh.gov.uk, and a member of the team will attend to explain the project and collect ideas.

Potential projects could include:

  • Community and public art
  • Cultural events and performances
  • Sport events and physical activities
  • Improvements to parks and public spaces
  • Heritage and community history projects

These are just suggestions, and everyone who takes part will also be given the opportunity to suggest other types of projects.

Next steps

4 January – 6 March 2027: Applications open. Community organisations and charities will apply for funding in response to the ideas and priorities local people have shared.

May – June 2027: Residents vote. Local people will decide which proposals they want to see funded in their ward.

June – July 2027: Awards made. Successful applicants with the highest number of votes will receive the funding.

Find out more

Your Voice: Visitor Levy is funded by the Edinburgh Visitor Levy, which came into effect in July.

The initiative has been designed to empower the city’s local communities, increase civic engagement and improve Edinburgh’s neighbourhoods in a way that addresses local priorities.

In accordance with the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act (2024), funds raised by the levy must be reinvested in local facilities and services substantially used by business and leisure visitors. However, participatory budgeting may also benefit residents and those who work and study in Edinburgh.

The levy’s agreed investment programmes are worth over £90 million over the next three years and have been designed to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable destinations in the world.

Projects already operating include:

  • The new £3.8m The Small Scale Accessible and Sustainable Capital Fund to support improvements to Edinburgh’s public cultural and heritage buildings.
  • The £2.62m Innovate Fund to provide extra support for all eligible cultural and arts organisations - including those operating at a local community level - to improve resilience, support programming innovation and enhance cultural output.
  • The launch of the Edinburgh Visitor Economy Improvement Fund (EVEIF) grant funding programme to support businesses in strengthening the city’s visitor economy, helping the sector respond to changing market conditions, rising operational pressures and evolving visitor expectations by encouraging partnerships, innovation and knowledge‑sharing between organisations.
  • A £132,000 contribution towards Edinburgh’s Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras events, which took place over the weekend of 18/19 July, providing an early demonstration of the Council’s intent to reinvest the levy’s funds into experiences that everyone can enjoy, whether they are visitors or residents.
  • Funding ten festival city ambassadors to help visitors find their way around the capital this summer, and work alongside the Council’s partners to make sure Edinburgh remains a vibrant and inclusive place.
  • Partnering with Police Scotland to create a City Centre Policing Unit, increasing public safety in the city centre and freeing up existing resource for frontline officers to be more present across other areas of the city.

A full list of the projects is available on the Visitor Levy section of the Council’s website.

Published: November 9th 2026