Andrew George

Andrew George

Liberal Democrat — St Ives

Speaking in the House of Commons on 13 November 2026

Debate

Homes and Planning Bill

Contribution

I will finish this point—no doubt, my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Noah Law) will want to assist me in making it. In Cornwall alone, since the small business rate relief change came in in 2012, well over half a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money has subsidised those people who take advantage of small business rate relief for holiday lets. Admittedly, a large amount of that was covid aid—whether they should have been entitled to that is a moral question one might want to ask—but the fact is that that amount of our taxpayers’ money is being used subsidise people who, in many cases, are wealthy enough to have a second home. They enjoy that second home, using it for themselves, but do not live in the area and let it out to the holiday trade, yet we have not got enough money to invest for the many thousands of families in places like Cornwall who have desperate housing need. I am trying to persuade the Minister to change his mind, and surely regulations that were better defined through planning law and registrations would help us to manage this better, close the tax reliefs and invest money better in social housing for the people who need and deserve it.

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