An attempt to introducing statutory licensing for Airbnbs and some other tourist accommodation has got a frosty reception.
The Welsh Government - as part of its governing deal between Labour and the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru - has been formally consulting on its proposals to include all short-lets, holiday homes, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts licenced under one scheme which would ensure similar regulation, building safety and management standards.
But the government’s proposal has been sharply criticised in the consultation results.
The consultation consisted of 64 questions and received 1,595 responses in total, including councils, visitor accommodation providers, tourism representative bodies and residents of Wales.
The government’s statement on the consultation results says: “Several recurring themes were regularly reflected across multiple consultation questions. The most common overarching themes were:
“- the view that the proposed statutory licensing scheme would create significant administrative and financial burden.
“- the suggestion that the visitor accommodation market is highly competitive and thus already operates efficiently.
“- general disagreement with any form of statutory licensing, without offering any further explanations for this view.“
It says that across most questions, the degree of agreement or disagreement was consistently split between demographics.
Large tourism organisations and local authorities were more likely to agree with the proposals, while visitor accommodation providers and residents most often disagreed.
Some 74 per cent of respondents preferred a scaled fee as opposed to an identical fee for all accommodation, typically based on size; and 61 per cent disagreed that such a scheme would ensure a level playing field for accommodation providers in Wales, because of the difference in size and turnover of different providers.
Perhaps most damning of all for the Welsh Government proposals is the statement in the consultation results that “most respondents offering evidence from other countries and similar schemes identified adverse effects on the tourism sector and the overall economy.”
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Typical Labour, thinking they’re fixing one problem by creating a far worse one. When the tourists who play a massive part keeping the Welsh economy afloat can’t find anywhere to stay they’ll go elsewhere. Meantime the local first time buyers will still struggle to buy due to the high prices. Building lots more affordable homes is the answer but that is beyond the limited intelligence of the amateurs the people of the principality keep electing!
As said above…. BUILDING more houses is the ONLY solution 🫤🫤
So when a consultation results in differing views, what happens then?
They do what they like regardless of democracy. Modern British politics are about the few not the many.
sad, that’s an easy one to answer. Sadiq Khan for example 60% voted against ULEZ even though he spent £160k targeting a section of the community that he thought more likely to vote for it, notwithstanding that over another 4’000 votes that were against put to one side and not included.
So the answer is easy if you don’t win the Consultation bring it in anyway.
Same goes for HMO license Consultation ask the general public who have no input to get the answers you want.
I seriously hope they boot that guy as far into orbit as humanly possible, ruined a great city....
Greater Manchester residents were given a vote for having a metro mayor. We voted No so three years later they gave us one. They gave us a vote on ULEZ and we voted No, so expect one given to us within the next few years.
What else do the Welsh have other tourisim and a few sheep ? nothing
Unfortunately they also have a lot of Labour voters who will help Sir Starmer into No. 10!
That appears a little on the offensive side Andrew, I am surprised at you.
John in fairness you do have Ifor Williams the rolls royce of trailers, I have one, very well engineered
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