Scarborough and Whitby councillors support Government proposal for stricter holiday let rules

Under the plan intended to prioritise “desperate” families looking for a home, second homeowners could require planning permission if they want to use their property as a holiday let in a tourist hotspot in England.

Announcing the consultation, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said too many people are being “pushed out of cherished towns, cities and villages by huge numbers of short-term lets”.

He said tourism brought economic benefits, but added: “I’m determined that we ensure that more people have access to local homes at affordable prices and that we prioritise families desperate to rent or buy a home of their own close to where they work.”

There are more than 8,000 second homes in North Yorkshire – the highest number in the region – and many residents in Scarborough and Whitby have said that the lack of affordable housing is a pressing issue.

The number of holiday lets in England rose by 40 per cent in the three years to 2021, according to BBC News research.

It found the Scarborough area, which includes Whitby, had the highest number of holiday lets, rising from 2,032 in 2018 to 2,913 in 2021.

The proposal has been welcomed and received tentative cross-party support from councillors along the Yorkshire Coast.

Cllr Janet Jefferson, a North Yorkshire Independent representing the Castle division, said she is “pleased” the Government is taking steps to listen to residents.

She added: “If you look at electoral rolls, the number of permanent residents is reducing dramatically. It is happening throughout Scarborough, especially town centre streets.

“So many have been converted and people have been given section 21 [eviction] notices after many years and they are struggling to find alternative accommodation.”

Last year it was revealed that private landlords in the borough of Scarborough have been “evicting tenants to convert [properties] into Airbnbs and holiday lets.”

In November 2022 a plan for the introduction of a 100 per cent council tax premium on second homes in North Yorkshire was approved to tackle the affordable homes crisis affecting the county.

Additionally, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has also launched a consultation to introduce a registration scheme for short-term lets in England.

Alison Hume, the Labour and Co-operative Party’s parliamentary candidate for Scarborough and Whitby also welcomed the consultation.

She said: “Whilst I welcome the two consultations, the devil will be in the detail, and it remains to be seen how serious the Government will be in the face of lobbying from big businesses such as Airbnb.

“With the current housing shortage in Scarborough and Whitby, no one should be using a house as an investment tool without a licence.”

York Central's MP, Rachael Maskell, proposed a new law last summer to license short-term and holiday-let homes in a bid to prevent turning “wonderful little communities into nightmares”.

Cllr Phil Trumper, a Conservative representing the Whitby West division, said it was “positive” that decisions could be made locally “because planning committees know what the local issues are and they will be able to determine if a conversion is positive or negative”.

The Government said the proposal would not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs and is set to implement a rental period of between 30 and 90 days where homeowners could let their properties “to help boost income” before needing to apply for planning permission and require a licence.