New proposals announced this week by the Government will introduce a requirement for planning permissions for short-term lets in tourist hot spots. This will give Councils control over the number of properties used for this purpose for the first time. A consultation has also been launched on a new registration scheme for holiday lets to gather data and increase understanding of the impact of short-term accommodation on communities. Having campaigned vigorously on our housing challenges, I am absolutely delighted by this news. I am grateful the Government has worked with me and my colleagues on this vitally important issue. Tourism benefits our local economy and it’s great to share our beautiful county with others, but the high demand for holiday lets means there are fewer places for locals to rent, and, because of this, local businesses have often struggled for staff. Together these new proposals will kickstart the process of rebalancing our housing market back towards local residents and should make a huge difference to life in Cornwall in the years to come. There are measures in these reforms to help boost the tourism industry too, and the consultation will also explore how to give people who let their homes out to tourists for short periods more flexibility in doing so. I'd recommend those potentially affected by these changes respond to the consultation.
I held a very productive meeting with Gary from Op Kernow recently. He briefed me that there are 30,000 members of the veterans' community in Cornwall requiring different levels of support and gave me insights into some of the problems our veterans face when they come out. I was also pleased to learn that the Office for Veterans' Affairs is engaging with them, and I am very happy to offer my ongoing support as MP. Any veterans who need support, or would just like to chat, can always get in touch with me via scott@scottmann.org.uk or 01208 74337. My team and I can help in a number of ways, and we have direct contact with Government Departments, the NHS, and so on.
