'Airbnb bill' aimed at taxing Cornwall's second homeowners
A bill proposing a law change aimed at second home owners looking to "dodge council tax" has been presented to parliament by a North Cornwall MP.Dubbed the "Airbnb Bill", it proposes homeowners be required to seek planning permission before short-term letting their property.Liberal Democrat MP Ben Maguire said it would "close a loophole" which allowed property owners to avoid council tax by reclassifying their second homes as business lets.John Brown, CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said the bill "was not a silver bullet, but a start".
'Tougher regulation'
Mr Brown added: "It must sit alongside tougher regulation and a robust registration system for short-term lets. "If it deters those looking to extract profit from Cornwall without putting anything back — good. "If it helps restore housing stock for local people, even better. "And if it ensures our hospitality and tourism sectors can find workers with secure housing, then it's a win for all of Cornwall.".Describing a "surplus" of Airbnb homes, he said there were 14,000 second homes in the county, while 22,000 people were on the housing waiting list. The bill follows a campaign led by Mr Maguire, who put the proposal directly to the Housing Minister in order to "deliver deep change for North Cornwall".He added: "The bill is about restoring fairness in our system and giving local people a better chance at owning their own home," he added.
Double council tax
In January 2023, Cornwall Council approved plans for owners of second homes in the county to be charged double council tax.In September 2024, Airbnb called for Cornwall Council to be given more data, powers and tools to regulate short-term rentals.The US online rental platform said it had written to local MPs and councillors across Cornwall to inform them of its support for new rules being implemented in the county.Airbnb also said it also supported the introduction of a registration scheme for people who wanted to let their homes to tourists.The BBC has contacted Airbnb and the The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Reform UK councils in ‘shambles' as newly elected councillors fail to show up
Reform UK gained control of nine councils and minority control in three more in May's local elections, but opposition councillors claim the party's organisation and productivity have been a "shambles" since. Across the 12 Reform -controlled councils, 33 meetings have been cancelled or postponed in the first nine weeks since the election, and at least 21 Reform councillors have missed their first meetings. In Kent, nine out of 22 scheduled meetings have been cancelled since the election, including legally required meetings like the governance and audit committee. An opposition councillor in Kent, Rich Lehmann, said the cancellations were "shocking" and questioned Reform 's ability to lead the council, while Sam Smith, leader of the Conservatives in Nottinghamshire, called the start "shambolic." Reform UK councillors have reportedly cancelled meetings to reschedule them when more prepared, while Nottinghamshire Council's new Reform leader Mick Barton dismissed the criticisms as "political rhetoric from the opposition."
Sky News
10 minutes ago
- Sky News
Three alleged Iranian spies appear at Old Bailey
Three Iranian nationals charged with spying offences have appeared in court. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, charged with offences under the National Security Act. They are alleged to have targeted journalists working for Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. They are all charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist the Iranian foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025. They arrived in the UK between 2016 and 2022 by irregular means, including by small boats and a lorry, and appeared in court via video link. They spoke through a Farsi translator to confirm their identities. Sepahvand, of St John's Wood, is also charged with engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, with the intention of committing serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh, of Brent, and Noori, of Ealing, are additionally charged with surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that serious violence would be committed by others against a person in the UK. The plea hearing for the three men will take place on 26 September, and a provisional trial date has been set for 5 October 2026, according to Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. The UK government summoned Iran's ambassador after the men were arrested on 3 May, saying Iran "must be held accountable for its actions". The men were arrested on the same day as five other Iranian nationals, who were taken into custody as part of an entirely separate investigation. Four of those men remain in custody and were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. A fifth, a 24-year-old man in the Manchester area, was released on bail. Last October, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said the UK intelligence agency had responded to 20 "potentially lethal" Iran-backed plots since 2022, warning of the risk of an "increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK".
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Katie Price no show at court over bankruptcy-related debts
Katie Price has failed to show up in court to find out if more of her income will go directly towards paying off money owed under her two former glamour model from Sussex was declared bankrupt in November 2019 and again in March last year, and the bankruptcies have since been the mother-of-five, who did not attend the hearing in London on Friday and was not represented, still owes money as a result and had previously reached a voluntary agreement over her August Ms Price was warned by a judge about her non-attendance, after she was arrested for failing to show up for a previous hearing on the matter in July. Barrister Darragh Connell, representing trustees, told the specialist court she has not paid the arranged £12,500 a Connell asked Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Sebastian Prentis to make an income payments order, which means money would go from any salary towards Price's outstanding order relates to 10 the judge asked for more evidence to be provided to the court about Price's "reasonable domestic needs".Last August, a judge ruled that Price's income from social media platform TikTok be suspended as part of efforts to pay off her in February last year, a judge at a specialist bankruptcy court ordered that she must pay 40% of her monthly income from the adult entertainment website OnlyFans until February next hearing will take place later in the year, on a date to be confirmed
