Latest news with #BrightonandHoveCityCouncil
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What we know about plans for Airbnb rule changes
A newly proposed law could push for a major crackdown on holiday rentals and tougher regulations, in a step towards 'restoring fairness' in the housing system in Cornwall and the wider southwest. The 'AirBnB Bill', which does not only target AirBnBs but refers to all short-term lettings, was proposed on 3 June by Ben Maguire MP for North Cornwall. It is aimed at home owners who let their properties to holidaymakers. In a tweet on social media platform, X, Maguire shared that the Bill will include requirements for planning permission before homes can become short-term lets, in an attempt 'to put a stop to the avoidance of paying council tax'. 'It's a simple change with a big impact," the tweet read, 'enough is enough.' Council Tax is one of many factors that have contributed to authorities mulling a crackdown in other areas of the country too. Brighton and Hove City Council revealed last week it is considering tougher regulations on holiday lets, amid an ongoing housing shortage. The council's report from 25 March revealed that as many as 6,000 homes are being used as holiday rentals in the city, and that some short-term holiday lets could be exploiting tax loopholes, with an estimate of £6bn in undeclared tax nationally. Other cities considering a crackdown include Cornwall, Whitby, Whitstable, St Ives and St Davids. Some reasons for the consideration include noise-nuisance, anti-social behaviour, pressure on limited parking, disrupting rubbish collection due to incorrect disposal and lack of correct fire and gas safety measures which endangers visitors. With MPs and councillors exploring ways to better regulate short-term rentals, Yahoo outlines the rules on renting out your home as a holiday let in the UK... In the UK, a holiday rental is referred to as a furnished holiday letting (FHL) according to with many people using sites such as Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and Agoda to rent out their homes. For your home to qualify as a FHL in England and Northern Ireland, it must be fully furnished and made available to rent by the public as furnished accommodation for at least 210 days in the year, and must be actually rented for at least 105 days in the year. For individual lettings in England, which is when renting fees are set for each room or per person, stays cannot exceed 31 days without requiring a formal tenancy agreement. In London, short-term lets cannot exceed a total of 90 days in the calendar year without planning permission – there are similar specific planning regulations in other areas outside of the capital. The rules for renting your property as a holiday let can differ depending on your local council or region, be sure to check the regulations. In Scotland and Wales, a home qualifies as a FHL when it's available for short-term lettings for at least 252 nights in a year and is actually let for at least 182 nights. Home owners in Scotland, who are looking to rent out their properties as holiday lets, are required to get a licence as part of the Short Term Accommodation Licensing scheme, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. The scheme offers four different types of licences, which last for three years and can take up to 12 months to process: Secondary letting – letting accommodation that isn't your principal home Home letting – letting your principal home when you're not there Home sharing – letting part of your principal home when you're not there Home letting and home sharing If you have more than one property – and they don't all have the same address – you will need a licence for each one. In January 2024, the Welsh Government announced plans to introduce a registration scheme and a licensing scheme in 2025, with aims for these to be set nationally, simple to use, cost effective and enable automatic/instant approval of properties. As of April 2025, the tax benefits that FHL qualifiers were entitled to were abolished, meaning that holiday lets are now taxed in the same way as other residential rental properties rather than under the previous business rates. The Bill is aiming to close a "damaging loophole" that currently allows second home owners to convert their properties into short-term holiday lets without planning oversight. Maguire claims this has been adding to the housing shortages and undermining council tax obligations. If passed, the new rule could include a requirement for planning permission before any property can become a holiday let. This is a permit or form of authorisation for building-related projects, which makes sure that it complies with planning policies and regulations. This could mean that homeowners who let their properties short-term will be required to get planning permission from their Local Planning Authority, which will decide whether or not to grant permission. The decision can be based on multiple factors, ranging from the impact this could have on the area, to how it aligns with their development plans for the area. Planning permission is already required for short-term lets in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales - England is set to require the same. Maguire described the Bill as "a targeted and fair proposal" with the goal to "give power back to local authorities, and protect our communities." "I'm hopeful that the Government will take this issue as seriously as it deserves. Together, we make it very clear: enough is enough," he said. In 2024, it is estimated that there were about 451,000 available short-term rental properties on platforms like Airbnb and in the UK. Additionally, a survey revealed that 4.5 million properties had been used for short-term lets at some point in the last two years – this is equivalent to 19% of the UK's housing stock. Carl Thomson, public policy manager for Airbnb UK, says short-term lets have been "bringing the benefits of tourism to all". "Calls to impose restrictions, red tape and fees only protect hotel chains' profits at the expense of local families," he said. "Two thirds of UK Airbnb hosts also say the additional income helps them keep up with the rising cost of living." This map shows how many properties are being let as holiday homes near you: Too many holiday lets on East Lothian street, residents claim What Spain's holiday rental tourism ban means for British travellers
Metro
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Metro
Londoners charged £1,000 to park outside their home forced to give up their cars
Londoners are paying more than £1,000 per year to park outside of their home with some forced to give up their vehicles. Islington has the most expensive residents parking permit in the whole UK, with some paying up to £1,073 for an older diesel car. This is around ten times more expensive than the rest of the UK, with the average being £128 for a permit, according to Churchill Motor Insurance. Taxi driver Sandy Conway said she bought a car for personal use which is the most eco compliant in 2017. She said she paid £29 for the first year of parking, but claims this has now risen to £421 – an increase of around 960%. Sandy told Metro: 'I deliberately bought this Band A car, but now I have to take it all the way out of the borough to my sister's drive in Loughton. 'I can't afford to park both my taxi or car in the same borough – it feels like theft.' Petrol vehicles can also cost up to £800 to park annually, and households must pay an extra £108.55 for a second permit. Cerys Thomas-Ford told Metro: 'My parking permit was £700. They charged me an extra £100 because it was the second car in the household. 'This really sucks given that a large percentage of people, me included, are flat sharing so we have separate cars for our entirely separate lives. Farcical.' Resident Yan Yan said he was paying £420 for an entire year's permit which he described as 'an absolute joke'. Andreas Georgious even revealed he gave up his car as he could not keep up with the 'extortionate' council fees. Some residents had also upgraded their work vehicles to ensure it was Ulez compliant and save on emission fees, but are still being charged high prices. Caroline Gallagher told Metro: 'I upgraded my van to meet regulations, but I'm still being charged extra due to it being diesel. Why did I bother to upgrade then?' London Borough of Islington – £1,073.60 City of Edinburgh – £777.90 London Borough of Camden – £741.40 London Borough of Tower Hamlets – £497.00 Brighton and Hove City Council – £441.65 London Borough of Brent – £429.00 London Borough of Enfield – £395.00 London Borough of Lewisham – £384.00 Westminster City Council – £371.00 London Borough of Southwark – £336.10 City of Glasgow – £328.00 Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – £324.00 The next highest place in the UK is the City of Edinburgh which charges a maximum of £777.90. Parking permits are 'wildly different' across the UK with charges varying by borough. Most London councils also base their charges on emissions rather than size. Camden is the next highest London borough and third highest in the UK, charging residents £741.40 for a permit. Tower Hamlets is next at £497, with Brent charging £429 and Enfield at £395. More Trending Nicholas Mantel, Head of Churchill Motor Insurance, commented: 'Residents parking schemes are now widespread in towns and cities across the UK. 'However, every council has taken a different approach, meaning that what might be considered a high emissions car by one council, isn't in the next. 'Overall, residents with older and more polluting cars are typically paying far more than those with more modern cars and EVs, regardless of how much room the cars take up when parked.' Metro has contacted Islington Council for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Apple Music's Matt Wilkinson: 'We need grassroots venues so rising artists can have their start' MORE: Roman Lavrynovych, 21, appears in court accused of arson fires near Keir Starmer's home MORE: 10 unmissable Time Out deals — including £9.99 Japanese lunch set and free gift
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Afghan restaurant can now deliver food until 4am at weekends
An Afghan restaurant can deliver food until 4am at weekends after councillors granted the premises a late-night refreshment licence. Nawab, in Western Road, Hove, was granted the late licence by a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel made up of three councillors. The panel held a hearing last month but the outcome has only just been published, with Nawab being granted permission to deliver food until 3am during the week and 4am at weekends. Nawab's owner, Ahmad Faisal Nasseri, known as Faisal, told councillors that he had no plans to sell alcohol. He can serve food to customers dining in and for takeaway until 1am daily. Sussex Police and the council licensing team objected to Mr Nasseri's application for the licence, saying that a late-night venue would encourage people who had been drinking to stay in the area. Claire Abdelkader, from Sussex Police, said that more than 1,100 crimes were recorded within half a mile of the premises over the past year. The vast majority were thefts or offences involving violence or breaches of public order – and midnight to 1am was a peak period for offending. The council licensing team and the police said that the council's own policy had identified the area as 'saturated with licensed premises'. New applicants were expected to have exceptional reasons or to be able to show that they wouldn't add to the area's existing problems. Mr Nasseri, 41, said that he had operated for seven months without any problems – and he had no links with the previous operators, The venue was formerly Antidote and previously the Back Beat Bar. The site landlord Ritan Enterprises Limited terminated Antidote's lease after significant traces of drugs were found during licensing inspections. Surfaces throughout the venue were contaminated with 'bulk' contact levels of cocaine on four occasions – and traces of ketamine and heroin were also found. A decision letter from the council said: 'As there are no plans to use the outside area, there should not be any additional noise. 'We welcome the applicant's agreement to the police conditions and the acceptance of a condition requiring the premises to be closed for takeaways and dine-ins after 1am.' The panel members – councillors Tobias Sheard, Lucy Helliwell and Kerry Pickett – asked for a smoking management plan as part of the conditions.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brighton Half Marathon will go ahead as planned following A259 closure
The Brighton Half Marathon is to go ahead this weekend despite concerns over the A259 closure. Organisers have confirmed today (February 26) that they will have access to the southern carriageway for the event. This means the race will be able to go ahead as planned this Sunday (2 March). READ MORE: Brighton Half Marathon - everything you need to know Concerns had arisen after a section of the A259 Kings Road was closed last Friday, after it was revealed that the Royal Albion Hotel is at risk of 'catastrophic failure'. Britannia Hotels, which owns the building, were instructed to make the building safe and barriers and fencing were erected to prevent the public from walking or driving near it. The closure has seen heavy traffic delays across the city throughout the week as drivers follow diversion routes. A spokesperson from Brighton Half Marathon said: 'We'd like to reassure runners that the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday will be going ahead as planned. 'We have been working closely with the council this week regarding the temporary closure of the A259 and they have confirmed this morning that we will have access to the southern carriageway on Sunday which allows the route to remain unchanged. 'We would like to thank everyone for their patience, and we are looking forward to race weekend.' The race will begin at 9.30am from Hove Lawns on the Kingsway. The route travels along the seafront, winding past some of Brighton's most recognisable landmarks. Brighton and Hove City Council has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brighton Half Marathon organisers speak out on seafront road closure
Organisers of Brighton Half Marathon have issued a statement following the closure of a road on the route. Brighton Half Marathon is due to take place next Sunday, March 2. The 13.1 mile route stretches along Brighton and Hove seafront and includes the A259 Kings Road, which was closed yesterday, February 21, due to structural fears for the Royal Albion Hotel. Britannia Hotels has been instructed to make the building safe and has put up fencing to prevent members of the public from walking near it. A spokesman for the Brighton Half Marathon said: 'We are aware of the situation regarding the temporary closure of the A259. 'We are working closely with the council and will update runners should there be any impact on the Brighton Half Marathon course route.' Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey hopes the road will be back open for next weekend's event, however will put public safety first. READ MORE: Updates as hotel at risk of collapse, sparking road closure She said: 'We're pressing Britannia and their contractors to make the structure safe as quickly as possible, so that we can reopen the road and keep the impact to a minimum for residents and visitors. Council leader Bella Sankey hopes the road will be back open for the Brighton Half Marathon (Image: Andrew Gardner) 'We very much hope this is complete in time for the Brighton Half Marathon next weekend, but public safety is our priority. 'We are very sorry for the disruption caused by closing the A259. "We've had to act with some urgency to ensure public safety around the site.' Brighton Pavilion MP Sian Berry has also called on Britannia, as well as Brighton and Hove City Council, to take action and be transparent about plans for the building, which was destroyed by fire in July 2023. Ms Berry said: 'It's approaching two years since fire engulfed the Royal Albion Hotel. 'The priority has to be public safety and for any urgent works to be completed, but residents are understandably asking why progress is so slow. 'I've written to both the council and Britannia, and stressed the need for clear information about timeframes and action is needed." Work is expected to begin at the site this weekend and carry on into next week. Diversion routes are in place and are illustrated through road signs.
