'Campaign for Housing Justice' in Cornwall will go to Parliament in spring
It offers solutions of limiting second homes and closing tax loopholes
A campaign to make housing cheaper and accessible for families across Cornwall will be taken to Parliament in the spring.
Cornwall Liberal Democrats have launched the Housing Justice Charter to find solutions to Cornwall's 'housing crisis'.
It covers a range of possible solutions including: to register and limit second homes, tax them more, invest more in social housing and strengthen planning controls to stop unaffordable projects.
It also looks at demanding payback of over £100 million of Cornwall’s Covid aid to second homers to combat the housing emergency.
Cornish residents face a 'perfect storm' housing crisis
Cllr Colin Martin said: "Cornish residents in insecure housing are experiencing a perfect storm – a shrinking and expensive private rented sector and an industrial-scale growth of wealthy investors of second, holiday and Airbnb homes.
"Treating Cornwall as a developers’ paradise hasn’t worked. The Cornish housing stock has been one of the fastest growing places in the UK since the 1960s, yet the housing problems of locals have deteriorated.
“Cornwall’s growing army of locals in caravans, winter lets, inadequate, insecure accommodation and worse deserve answer and decent homes”.
The Charter restates and reinforces the Cornwall Liberal Democrats’ promise to provide affordable homes for the Duchy.
The party have said they are determined to put justice for all at the heart of housing and planning policy.
'Demand for rentals is the third highest in the country'
The petition from the party, with the message 'First Homes not Second Homes', will be presented to Parliament in the Spring.
Former St Ives' MP and Cllr Andrew George has been lobbying for years and added: "Second homers have been rewarded with multi-million-pound tax loop-holes and then over £100 million of Cornwall’s COVID aid.
"At the same time demand for rental properties in Cornwall is the third highest in the country. Yet the availability of such properties has crashed by 72% over the last two years.
"If they want to do something useful, they should claw back the £104 million of Cornwall’s Covid aid handed out to those second homers who use this loophole and instead use it to help the thousands of local families in serious housing insecurity".
He continued: "We can actually measure the impact on peoples lives, the insecurities in peoples lives, their life chances because poor insecure accommodation does have massive impacts on the life chances and opportunities for thousands of families here in Cornwall.
"I think a lot of people believe that the only way to address housing needs in a place like Cornwall is building more houses and I think Cornwall is the classic example of places where that has been tried and has completely failed".
'Poor, insecure accommodation has a massive impact'
The government recently announced second homeowners who claim business rates relief and avoid paying council tax will have to provide evidence that they have been let out under new government rules.
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for levelling up, said new moves which will aim to close the loophole which has allowed some second homeowners avoid paying tax.
Cornwall Council is currently asking the Government, as part of its bid for further devolution, to be able to charge an additional council tax charge on second homeowners to try and raise more money to provide council services.
You can read more about Cornwall Council's housing strategy on the authority's website.