Today, it is with a heavy heart that I have to apologise to self-catering businesses and small accommodation operators across Scotland, and to everyone whose businesses and livelihoods depend on tourism who will feel the effect.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
In Edinburgh, by 2pm yesterday, there had been “approximately 2,150 total short-term lets licence applications”.
@Edinburgh_CC
has long maintained that there are 12,000
#STLs
in the capital. So just 18% have applied, or your 'data' is wildly wrong?
This is indefensible from the Minister for Housing.
Deplorable.
Mr McLennan must apologise to Linda, and the wider sector, for the destruction that his legislation is wreaking on people’s livelihoods and Scotland’s tourism industry.
@SaveSCScotland
It is deeply regrettable that Mr Harvie sees fit to find humour in the stress, anxiety and upset that Scottish Government policies have delivered, on behalf of the Green Party.
I am deeply honoured to be recognised in this Motion to Parliament, and my thanks go to all the MSPs who have lent their support to the Motion.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
I’m in Glasgow for meetings. A self-caterer who I have never met before has just come up to thank me for what the
@ASSCnews
is doing to protect their livelihood and their pension. Their business is in tatters. That’s the reality of
#STL
regulations in Scotland.
@SaveSCScotland
It was like a tin of sweaty sardines by Kingussie.
@ScotRail
- I stood from Inverness to Glasgow. Changed trains three times. Every one was delayed.
This will not help our international reputation.
#Tourism
An extremely constructive meeting with the Deputy First Minister,
@_KateForbes
, today. We are confident and optimistic that with a reset in relations and meaningful engagement, we may be able to plug the hole in the ship and get it back on course.
@ASSCnews
@ScotBandBassoc
How absolutely tragic. Another pension / livelihood lost to
#STL
legislation. Another property lying empty for family and friends. No demonstrable benefit whatsoever.
@SaveSCScotland
@ASSCnews
@ScotBandBassoc
This death threat is simply horrific and should be condemned by all in the strongest possible terms. Unfortunately, this cowardly act is just the latest example in a torrent of abuse that small business owners have been subjected to due to the toxic nature of the STL debate. 1/3
This government is desperate to keep hold of power, doing what it needs to do to keep its coalition on track. While keeping the Greens happy, the SNP is threatening the livelihood of countless small businesses.
@SaveSCScotland
@ASSCnews
@ScotBandBassoc
Grateful to Minister for Housing,
@PaulMcLennan7
, for an opportunity to meet. A worthwhile face to face discussion. We left the Minister in no doubt of the dire consequences that will face Scottish tourism, if the
@Scotgov
doesn’t listen to what the sector is telling them.
“Are you Fiona Campbell?”
When you are celebrating a second JR win in Glasgow and a lovely lady comes up to say thank you for everything the
@ASSCnews
does for the sector.
Made my day.
“As the registrations come in we will find out just how many there are”, according to
@scotgov
’s Housing Minister. Good policy makers use robust data in order to inform the need for legislation. You don’t legislate to provide the evidence to introduce the legislation.
Portugal has just revoked all their diabolical housing and STL laws (which were remarkably similar to Scotland. They clearly weren't working. Common sense has prevailed.
The ASSC welcomes this judgment from Lord Braid which not only has profound implications for Edinburgh, but short-term let policy across Scotland.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
1/6
Strathspey MSP Fergus Ewing said:
“The way to get more homes is to build them and not to regulate existing hard working businesses - in this case with regulations admitted to be a Scottish Government botch up.” 1/7
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
“Tourism leaders have been clear that irreversible damage is being caused by the legislation, but that seems to be falling on deaf ears in the Scottish Government. We need to see changes, and we need to see them now."
@ASSCnews
False hope is being offered to communities on the one hand, that the housing crisis will be eased by driving self-caterers out of business, whilst on the other we are being told that this is about health and safety, and not about driving down STL numbers.
An extremely technical meeting regarding the overly complex conflation of
#STL
planning and licensing regimes, with Minister for Finance,
@Ivan_McKee
today in
@ScotParl
.
Armed with further legal opinion from
@BurnessPaullLLP
, now time to draw a line under unlawful policies.
Apparently
@scotgov
don't regard a breach of human rights law to be an issue. Remarkable really.
#STL
licensing policies have already been proved in Court of Session to be unlawful in Common Law and Provision of Services Regulations. Law? What law?
7 secondary let licences have been granted by
@Edinburgh_CC
. What happened to the 12,000 we’ve all been told about? Is 7 going to be enough to cater to the diverse accommodation needs in our capital?
@SaveSCScotland
200+ delegates at
@scalerentals
in London utterly aghast at the
@scotgov
’s wilful destruction of the small accommodation sector. At best embarrassing, at worst indefensible.
It costs £86 to register as a landlord for 3 years. How does it cost up to £5869 for one
#STL
#Hospitality
premises to assess exactly the same basic H&S compliance? It doesn't. That is a fact.
@SaveSCScotland
It takes strength to admit that laws are not fit first purpose in the light of evidence, working with industry.
We would value this approach with
@scotgov
& in Ireland.
The self-catering sector stands ready to assist with solutions.
@SaveSCScotland
@ASSCnews
@ISCFederation
Portugals new PM revoked all STR laws in maiden speach. Restrictions similar to RPZ in Ireland, negatively effecting existing SME family tourism businesses. Similar revoking of planning restrictions would strengthen economic value of
@wildatlanticway
at 10.
@SimonHarrisTD
To be generous, I don't believe that MSPs know what they have been signing up to where
#STL
regs are concerned. They have been fed tropes and dutifully swallowed the Kool Aid, not realising the wilful destruction that has resulted. Time to wake up.
@SaveSCScotland
@PLACEEdinburgh
place: an anonymous group with no mandate, that does not submit returns to the lobbying register. ASSC: an internationally recognised trade body representing over 1,700 members - professional, legitimate businesses. A constituted body, entirely transparent.
Delighted that following legal opinion,
@Edinburgh_CC
has decided to withdraw suspension notices and
#STL
licences are now being granted at pace - almost 1 yr since applications went in. Shameful that it required three legal challenges to get to this.
Driving north on the
#A82
.
Observation: every lay-by full of campervans and people wild camping.
They won’t be faced with a
#VisitorLevy
.
Their exclusion will further displace visitors from traditional accommodation and discourage
#ResponsibleTourism
.
@SaveSCScotland
It seems extraordinary that the Scottish Government is turning a blind eye to the eyewatering illegalities associated with
#STL
regulations. The small accommodation sector feels utterly abandoned, and stress and anger is growing.
@ScotBandBassoc
@ASSCnews
@donturvLDR
@EdinburghLive_
Donald, to clarify,
#STL
operators are not ‘landlords’ - there is no tenancy involved.
@ASSCnews
members are hospitality businesses. It would have been helpful to have been involved in your interrogation of the matter to ensure a clear understanding of the situation.
Current
#STL
legislation is clear. SNP staff have been asked to provide accommodation to other SNP staff for the purposes of carrying out work. Assuming that they will be on expenses, then Section 2(1)(b) and section 3(d) apply, as does Schedule 3(14).
Skye: 6 Self-Catering businesses and 3 B&Bs on the market in last 72 hrs. How many will be 'affordable homes for locals'? Or snapped up by cash buyers at inflated prices and used as second homes? 9 businesses closing 3 days. Impact on local economy?
@_KateForbes
@RichardLochhead
I am delighted to have been invited to meet with
@scotgov
Minister for Housing
@PaulMcLennan7
at his first Ministerial meeting. A hugely constructive conversation addressing the challenges with
#STL
licensing and a welcome commitment to finding solutions.
@ASSCnews
@st_alliance
We are not anti-regulation, nor do we or our members relish undertaking legal action. We want regulation – but only that which is proportionate, non-discriminatory and most importantly, legal.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
A stunning, early start in Edinburgh, in preparation to meet with the Housing Minister and
@DickinsEdin
. Hoping for meaningful engagement and solutions to the
#STL
licensing fiasco.
@oldtownrez
@ASSCnews
Had
@scotgov
taken
@ASSCnews
advice and introduced a registration scheme with mandatory H&S, all of this would have been avoided.
Now? Livelihoods lost. Essential accommodation lost. Local economies impacted.
Housing crisis fixed? Nope.
Indefensible.
"It has now emerged that
@neilcgray
, the economy minister, raised concerns that interventions from the Greens were making businesses feel that the
@scotgov
was against them."
@ASSCnews
Exempting home swaps because their inclusion seen as an unintended consequence. So all the other 'unintended consequences' identified must indeed be INTENDED, including loss of livelihoods and impact on onward supply chain and economy.
@SaveSCScotland
We commend that
@cllrcammyday
has come to the same logical conclusion as everyone in the tourism sector which is that the 1 October deadline needs to be pushed back. Interview from approx. 1hr 21mins 30 secs.
A Scottish council has exploited a loophole in the SNP’s chaotic holiday rental licensing policy because it fears an accommodation crisis at one of the country’s top sporting events.
Complete and utter shambles.
Campaigners demand Highland Council repays hundreds of thousands of pounds after STL climbdown.
“My warm congratulations to Fiona Campbell of
@ASSCnews
for her dogged pursuit of fairness for hard working small businesses."
Should not have come to this.
30th July 2023: 50,272 people have seen this post. 459 people liked it. 85 comments. 40 reposts. Says something about level of outrage.
#Scapegoat
@SaveSCScotland
Having assessed Clackmannanshire Council's
#STL
Licence Policy, it too appears to be unlawful on multiple points, not least it's planning policy. Every policy that the
@ASSCnews
has reviewed has been found to be unlawful.
An anonymous ‘grassroots network’ that encourages spurious and vexatious objections against legitimate lawful businesses. Yet
@scotgov
listens to them. This is Destroying community cohesion. An extraordinary act of self-harm from elected representatives.
@SaveSCScotland
An extremely constructive meeting with
@cllrcammyday
today at City Chambers. Looking at solutions and a way forward for the vital self-catering sector that benefits all stakeholders.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
The Lord Advocate must investigate whether the introduction of a short-term let licensing scheme will breach human rights laws, a group of cross-party MSPs has said.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
The UK Gov is encouraging people to rent a room out to assist with mortgage / rent rises.
@scotgov
is making it prohibitively expensive to do that due to
#STL
licensing. Supporting people through the cost of living crisis? Not so much.
@SaveSCScotland
@ASSCnews
Anyone surprised? Shut down the self-catering sector in Edinburgh and you'll hit a supply / demand scenario. Hotels are sweeping up and delighted. Fans less so.
They played this game in Dublin....
@ISCFederation
#Predictable
We were assured that
#STL
regulations (duplicated planning / licensing regimes) would not be onerous or burdensome. They are. We were told they were proportionate. They are not. There is still time to get this back on track. 35 working days.
@SaveSCScotland
@ASSCnews
@st_alliance
The Chief Planning Officer said planning is about enabling not regulating. Just watch how NPF4 has been weaponised in the witch hunt against the self-catering sector. De facto ban.
@SaveSCScotland
@cllrcammyday
City of Edinburgh Council has now suffered two defeats in the court about its short-term lets licensing regime - with the drafting of the original legislation at Holyrood at the heart of the cases.
In a letter from
@scotgov
to
@Edinburgh_CC
on 27th July 2022, it was made absolutely clear that the requirement for planning permission in a
#STL
Planning Control Area was not retrospective.
I fail to understand how the Council has got it this wrong.
#A1P1
.
@SaveSCScotland
@CllrChasBooth
@CllrChasBooth
@cllrcammyday
Encouraging community cohesion or fostering a divided community? Your constituents include legitimate self-catering businesses. Are you representing your constituents? Or inciting social disorder?
@SaveSCScotland
A sensationally beautiful evening sailing on the Steamship Sir Walter Scott, with
@MCrothall
, discussing Visitor Levy and the impact of various other policies on our vital tourism industry, with the
@lomondtrossachs
Destination Group.
Competition laws are designed to promote fair competition, prevent market distortions, and protect consumers. If a local authority enacts policies that explicitly favour hotels / serviced apartments over STLs, could be viewed as discriminatory and anti-competitive.
We are VERY grateful to Alastair Sutherland at Burness Paull and James Findlay KC for their excellent work in helping to achieve achieve this significant victory.
Do people realise that if they rent out a room occasionally to help pay the mortgage in Scotland, they now need to apply for a licence to do so?
@SaveSCScotland
I drove from Loch Lomond to Portree this week. Passed hundreds of self-catering holiday homes and B&Bs.
Only saw 2
#STL
licence notices.
Successful policy implementation?
@SaveSCScotland
“These regulations are failing every part of our communities, benefiting no one. It is time for a rethink and for industry and government to work together to amend the regulatory framework to benefit all stakeholders”
@ASSCnews
@ScotBandBassoc
@uk_staa
"This is now the third successful challenge to the legislation, and we will continue our efforts to make any necessary interventions in
@Edinburgh_CC
and beyond in the best interests of our members."
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
"Humza Yousaf’s attempts to paint himself as a proponent of economic growth and a champion of business are as about as convincing as Donald Trump’s claim to have won the 2020 US presidential election."