MP urges more council powers over holiday lets

An MP has called for stricter rules to address the disparity between the availability of holiday lets and homes for residents.

Alison Hume, Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, asked the government to "move at pace” to allow councils new licensing and planning powers to address a lack of housing, especially on the Yorkshire coast.

During a Westminster Hall debate on the regulation of short-term lets, Ms Hume said she understood the towns were "understandably popular" holiday destinations.

But she added: "The impact of short-term holiday lets is forcing people out of the towns."

She continued: “Today there are only seven homes available to rent on Rightmove in the Whitby area, while there are 300 properties on short-term let platforms.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, North Yorkshire has more than 8,000 second homes.

Many of these are located on the coast, including in Whitby and Scarborough.

Earlier this year, the Conservative-led North Yorkshire Council voted to approve a 100% premium for council tax bills on second homes in the county from April 2025.

The authority said the tax could raise up to £16.5m a year in additional revenue which could be put into building more affordable housing.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, said short-term letting issues were felt across the country.

Some councils had reported growth of between 30 and 52% in short-term lets, the LGA said.

The association said it had been raising concerns about unregulated growth in this sector “for some time” and that the issue indicated the need for regulation that allowed "local discretion and implementation [...] while enabling those places with significant impact on their communities to take action”.

North Yorkshire Council approved an “ambitious” plan to build at least 500 council homes in the county in May.

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