Inverness and Nairn Scottish Labour candidate for 2026 Holyrood election calls for charge on motorhomes
The Labour candidate for Inverness and Nairn at the Scottish Parliament election next year, Shaun Fraser, has called for the Scottish government to look at options for implementing a motorhome charge on Highland roads.
After speaking in favour of the proposed visitor levy for the Highlands, Mr Fraser has written to the Scottish government in a call for action.
Writing to Richard Lochhead MSP, the Scottish government Business Minister with responsibility for tourism, Mr Fraser said that based on Highland Council’s estimate of 36,000 campervans visiting the area in 2022, he can “only imagine” that this annual number “has risen further since then".
He said: "These roads were built to string together sparsely populated settlements and simply cannot cope with the class of vehicles and level of traffic which they are now enduring.
“Passing places are often being used as parking spots, roadsides are being appropriated to discharge waste and verges are crumbling under the strain. Our rural roads have become industrialised by roving bungalows".
In his letter, Mr Fraser urged the Scottish Government to look at options to address these issues — such as a charge on motorhomes rented locally, and number plate recognition to charge visiting campervans using Highland roads.
He continued: "It is important that motorhomes are included in a well-rounded visitor levy and that the processing of such a charge does not fall to hotels and guest houses alone. This is a matter of fairness".
Shaun Fraser is a self-employed Highland artist who has been selected as Scottish Labour candidate for Inverness and Nairn at the Holyrood election in 2026.
He has a family background linked to the Highland hospitality sector, with his grandparents being Inverness hoteliers for several decades.
