Call made to stop rich "hoarding" Stirling properties
Reducing the number of second homes in Stirling could help to tackle the housing crisis says a local MSP.
Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, says making it harder for the wealthy to 'hoard' homes by increasing their tax is crucial to tackle the issue in Stirlingshire.
The most recent data from the Scottish Government shows that second homes and short-term lets make up 2.5 per cent of all housing in Stirling.
This is higher than the national average (1.8 per cent).
At the same time, a housing emergency has been declared across Scotland and over 10,000 children are in temporary accommodation.
Second homes are more common in areas of natural beauty, including Callander, Aberfoyle and Bridge of Allan. In many cases young people are forced to leave the communities they have grown up in due to housing shortages and high house prices caused by second homes and holiday lets.
Mr Ruskell says the Scottish Greens have already taken action to reduce the spread of holiday homes and short term lets, doubling the tax paid when buying a home for these purposes and giving councils the power to double council tax on these properties. This reduced the number of second homes by 2455 in Scotland last year compared to 2023 and raised tens of millions of pounds for public services like the NHS and schools.
Speaking in Parliament last week, Mr Ruskell raised concerns about the expansion of second home ownership, and called for action to protect communities and help first time house buyers by reducing the number of holiday homes.
He said: 'Scotland is in a housing crisis. Everyone in Parliament agrees on this, but it's only the Scottish Greens delivering the changes needed to tackle it.
'The fact that we have hundreds of second homes and short term lets across Stirlingshire, outstripping the national average, is a major reason why this crisis is so much worse locally. Wealthy people buying up properties they won't live in are pushing out young families in particular.
'These houses either lie empty for most of the year as holiday homes, or they are hoarded by landlords making a fortune from Airbnb-style short term lets. Either way, its first-time buyers who are pushed out by those with much more financial muscle.
'There are 10,000 children stuck in temporary accommodation, but 49,000 second homes and short term lets. This is a crisis which can clearly be solved. We'll only do that by taking on the wealthy few, those who pay very little tax while hoovering up the houses which other people need.
'The current Housing Bill is a watershed moment in the Scottish Parliament. Thanks to the Scottish Greens it will deliver controls on rent increases and new rights and protections for renters.
'However, it must go further to tackle the vast inequality gap that we see between the rich and the vulnerable in Stirlingshire.
'The Scottish Government must listen to us and act boldly to stop the hollowing out of our communities.'
In his speech, Mr Ruskell said his area's communities welcomed people who come to make their lives in permanent homes, but that more second homes were artificially inflating the housing market and pricing out locals, particularly families taking their first steps in the housing market.
'Adult children often have to stay in the family home while saving for a deposit or even to move out of their community, away from friends and family, at a stage in life when support networks are incredibly important.
'I also see older people struggling. They can become trapped in unsuitable housing because there are few properties available to downsize into and they sometimes end up in precarious tenancies in poorly serviced park homes. There are few options for people in many rural communities.
'It is in those hotspots that we can most clearly see the impact of second home ownership. Shops close because of a lack of regular custom, schools have dwindling numbers of young people, leading to their eventual closure, and residents no longer have neighbours.'
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