Newspaper Column - Short-Term Holiday Lets

Now we are in the Summer Recess I have spent the previous week out and about meeting with local people and businesses regarding my work for you as your MP.

Last Thursday I attended a round table meeting on the Short-Term Accommodation Association, industry stakeholders and Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall, to discuss the current imbalance of short-term holiday lets in Cornwall.

This is an issue, that along with the housing crisis, is often raised with me and it was good to be able to go to the Falmouth Hotel and join with other local Conservative MPs, Cornwall Councillors, including Council Leader, Cllr Linda Taylor, to take the opportunity to express our concerns about the current state of short-term holiday lets across Cornwall.

Since Covid, we have seen a sharp rise in properties 'flipping' from long term let to short term holiday lets across Cornwall and Cornish Conservative MPs have been pushing the issue in Parliament. The Government is committed to tackling and solving the issue, without damaging our thriving tourist sector.

Among the topics discussed were changes to local planning laws, as well as the registration of short-term holiday lets which will enable better regulation of their use, prioritising the needs of local communities first. 

This was a really great opportunity to hear views directly from the Short-Term Accommodation Association and Visit Cornwall and get stuck in on what we need to do to resolve the problems caused by short-term holiday lets for so many here in our community.

As a team, Cornish Conservative MPs and councillors have worked hard with the Government to tackle the crisis of short-term holiday lets. It is essential that we find a solution to the crisis but one which is not at the expense of the tourism industry. So many here in Cornwall rely on leisure and tourism for work every summer and they cannot be forgotten during this conversation.

However, many communities are reluctant to support housing developments because there is currently nothing to stop properties being bought by investors and used as short-term holiday lets, rather than family homes.  Using the planning process, we hope that local communities can finally make a choice in how they wish to resolve this, and we are bringing people together to identify how we can make this work for all of us to be a real Cornish success.

Earlier this year I welcomed proposals announced by the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) for a requirement for planning permission to be granted for short-term lets in tourist hot-spots like Cornwall. Pushing those interested in letting their second homes to use this process allows an element of control by local councillors and residents. In Truro & Falmouth this means that each application can be judged on its merit and value to the community. The Government is currently consulting on these proposals.

Since being elected as the MP for my community in Truro & Falmouth I have been resolute in my commitment to change the way housing works in Cornwall so that Cornish families can get on the housing ladder with an affordable home. After many conversations with Ministers by all Cornish MP’s we are finally making some progress that allows local people to take control of the number of holiday lets within our towns. I look forward to seeing the results of the consultation and will push for the Government to introduce these measures as quickly as possible.

As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if there is ever anything at all I   can do to help, then please do not hesitate to contact me. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.