Labour hypocrisy on short-term lets “staggering” say Scottish Greens
Scottish Labour must ‘stop playing both sides’ and support action to tackle short term lets, say the Scottish Greens.
This comes after three senior Labour MSPs - the party’s deputy leader, Jackie Bailie, Mark Griffin and economy spokesperson Daniel Johnston - joined Tory MSPs in calling for the licensing of short-term lets to be delayed.
The Scottish Greens have also highlighted that Labour in Wales is developing a licensing scheme that is very similar to the one in Scotland.
The call follows the Scottish Government's publication of the first set of official statistics on short term lets, albeit with a time lag of almost 6 months.
The Scottish Greens housing spokesperson, Ariane Burgess MSP, said:
“This is a really important scheme and will help to make sure that short-term lets are properly managed and that more homes are kept for people to live in rather than being used as holiday homes.
“Holiday lets are an important part of the tourist economy, but when large parts of a village or most flats in a stair have become holiday lets rather than homes then the balance has been upset.
“That is why the Scottish Government is right to regulate holiday homes for the first time. It is also why Labour in Wales is following in the same footsteps.
“It is no surprise that the Tories are putting holiday let owners ahead of communities, but Labour’s hypocrisy is quite staggering. It is time for them to come clean and stop trying to play both sides.
“If Labour is serious about delivering the housing that is needed then they should learn from their colleagues in Wales, put the political game playing to one side, and support the vital action we are taking.”