The Scottish B&B Association
@ScotBandBassoc
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The trade assoc for B&Bs & guesthouses in Scotland (affiliated with @BandBassoc UK). Join here:
Dunblane, Scotland
Joined May 2016
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It’s desperately sad to hear of so many brilliant B&Bs closing because of
#STLlicensing
, like this one today in the Highlands:
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URGENT: Yesterday
@NicolaSturgeon
@scotgov
said: “To our hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation: you should NOT be accepting visitors. Provide accom for your staff & make yourselves available to help essential workers & support essential services - that is all”. Pls RT
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Great to be part of a huge peaceful & good-spirited protest today at
@ScotParl
on
#STLlicensing
with so many self-caterers & B&B owners - & many MSPs too showing solidarity with small tourism businesses
@FergusEwingSNP
@Douglas4Moray
@jhalcrojohnston
@murdo_fraser
& many others
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“A law that records non-compliance on this scale is a failed law. Worse, it is undermining the whole of Scotland’s tourism industry, which is worth about £6bn to the economy.”
Magnus Linklater,
@thetimes
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Scotland’s biggest tourism market is England. We need English tourists here to help our businesses recover, & support our rural & island communities.
All public commentators must think carefully about how to avoid undermining Scotland’s welcome message.
@Scotland
@VisitScotland
‘Those in Scotland’s hospitality industry take a rather different view — they are crying out for visitors. For all the talk of a staycation boom this summer, the STA says there is ‘an extremely slow start to accommodation bookings’ as of May’
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We call on all MSPs to vote for motion S6M-10411 (below) this afternoon in the
@ScotParl
, proposed by
@murdo_fraser
, calling on
@scotgov
to pause the flawed (& in 5 areas illegal)
#STLlicensing
schemes for 12 months, for evidence-based modifications.
Please RETWEET to your MSPs!
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Thank you
@FergusEwingSNP
,
@Douglas4Moray
,
@jackiebmsp
,
@Liam4Orkney
and the 33 other MSPs of ALL main parties who have today written to
@ScotGovFM
asking for the flawed & damaging
#STLlicensing
schemes to be delayed & reformed. We value your support for small businesses!
MSPs from ALL main political parties have called on
@ScotGovFM
to pause the “flawed”
#STLlicensing
, a “threat” to the economy.
Former SNP cabinet secretary & tourism Minister
@FergusEwingSNP
is one of 37 MSPs who have written to the FM demanding action:
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Day 2 today of
@GuestScotland
@eicaratho
with speakers inc Riddell Graham of
@VisitScotland
- and you can join us for half price at the show
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“The [
@scotgov
] policy on short-term lets licensing is disastrous”
Says
@FergusEwingSNP
, former Tourism Minister (and SNP veteran)
Is
@PaulMcLennan7
listening to the huge range & number of voices all saying that a pause & full reset is needed urgently?
"There's many of people in the Cabinet and the leadership that haven't uttered a word to me or vice versa, for well over a year. And it's very sad."
SNP MSP Fergus Ewing says he won't be deterred by the "toxic atmosphere amongst the SNP group in Holyrood."
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A very well-deserved award to
@FergusEwingSNP
as “MSP of the Year”. Congratulations!
Mr Ewing was Tourism Minister for over 6 years and understands our sector deeply & the value to Scotland of our brilliant B&Bs, guesthouses & small accom providers. A great parliamentarian
Huge congratulations to
@FergusEwingSNP
on being awarded MSP of the Year: a longstanding champion of the small businesses that comprise our industry.
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So sad. And yes, the effects will be felt across the economy: which is why 22 business orgs (not just in tourism but economy-wide) wrote to
@neilcgray
pleading for
#STLlicensing
to be delayed and reformed. He dismissed their arguments.
Your Kingussie example proves him wrong
In Kingussie alone - a wee Highland village - four guest houses have already pulled the plug, with a fifth about to follow suit. The effect on local pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops and tourist attractions will be devastating.
The SNP & Greens are destroying Scotland …
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“I think I can put the SNP and the
@ScotGovFM
on notice that it’s the Scottish Conservatives’ intention to hold a debate on this issue and a vote to seek to stop the implementation on October 1 which is going to put businesses out of business”
@Douglas4Moray
Scottish Tories to force vote on short-term lets licensing scheme | The National
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Huge congratulations to
@FionaCampbell74
on winning “CEO of the Year”. Well deserved!
I only went and won….
Chief Executive of the Year.
Utterly amazed, humbled and delighted.
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
#WomensAwards
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“I don’t feel anyone understands the.. nastiness of the Airbnb invasion.. my quality of life has been destroyed” says a despairing
#Edinburgh
resident in
@timesletters
today - showing the true cost to ordinary people of unregulated short lets. Please note
@scotgov
@Edinburgh_CC
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Coming to next year’s
@edinburghfests
? Don’t forget your tent!
SNP MSP suggests CAMPING as alternative to short term lets amid controversy. “If STLs are squeezing out local people from affordable accommodation, then there is something wrong” 1/2
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It seems Ministers don’t like the fact that we & others are still “questioning” their
#STLlicensing
schemes.
If something is wrong, it’s wrong, and we will always speak up for our members, regardless of how inconvenient or embarrassing it may be for the Ministers responsible
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Magnus Linklater says he may be criminalised by
@scotgov
on 1st Oct:
“Is this really what the Scottish government wants?… Our form has yet to be completed. I may be about to join the criminal class.”
He won’t be alone: there may be thousands…
“A law that records non-compliance on this scale is a failed law. Worse, it is undermining the whole of Scotland’s tourism industry, which is worth about £6bn to the economy.”
Magnus Linklater,
@thetimes
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The EU’s plan for regulating STLs is excellent - a light touch, digital enabled registration scheme.
Exactly what we urged
@scotgov
to go for years ago!
If only they had followed the EU principles highlighted in the video below:
@PaulMcLennan7
take note!
Short-Term Rental Regulation in the EU: The
@Europarl_EN
has a plan. And we support it wholeheartedly!
@ASSCnews
@uk_staa
@st_alliance
@ScotBandBassoc
@SaveSCScotland
@scotgov
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“The Scottish Bed and Breakfast Association is calling for a one-year pause in the scheme because of the uncertainty.
Chairman David Weston said: “We feel the sector is being ignored. There is a ticking time-bomb effectively coming on October 1”
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@FionaHyslop
@ShonaRobison
Sadly
@ShonaRobison
was not able to answer
@murdo_fraser
’s question on whether home swaps are covered by
#STLlicensing
- despite being the minister who brought the legislation to Parliament.
She referred it to Soc Justice Minister.
Convener said: “but you are Deputy FM!”
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VAT: if the £85k threshold had not been frozen since April 2017, it would now be around £103,000. That would allow thousands of SMEs to grow by over 20% before hitting the punitive “cliff edge”.
@Jeremy_Hunt
, please reverse this “stealth tax” as well as lowering the VAT rate
TVL - VAT threshold: Our Chairman David Weston emphasised to the
@SP_LocalGov
Committee at
@ScotParl
on 24/10 why the VAT threshold is so significant to our sector, and the danger of a tourist tax pushing a small business through the £85k threshold:
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In Feb 2021 the then housing minister
@KevinStewartSNP
reassured everyone that fees for
#STLlicensing
would “be in the range £223 and £377 for a three-year licence”.
Many are actually facing fees of more than twice that - in Edinburgh £3,000 to £5,000 - which are NON-REFUNDABLE
@ralphaverbuch
@AngusRobertson
@PaulMcLennan7
@scotgov
@ETAG_UK
Yes we’ve all grown used to being told we were worrying about nothing, and scaremongering. It would all be fine and no business which was safety-compliant would encounter any problems at all.
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Yet again a Judge ruling strikes down aspects of the STL Licensing/Planning legislation, & yet again proves how badly drafted & (in the judge’s own words) “not only unfair, but illogical” it is.
More proof we need a MEANINGFUL review of STLL in early 2024 as promised, & changes
Lord Braid has, this morning, found in favour of Iain Muirhead And Dickins Edinburgh Limited’s Judicial Review Petition regarding
@Edinburgh_CC
Short-Term Let (
#STL
) Planning Control Area.
(1/24)
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@sonofthechief2
@PaulMcLennan7
@RichardLochhead
@murdo_fraser
@FergusEwingSNP
@st_alliance
@ASSCnews
This is a traditional family-run rural B&B that already meets health & safety standards and is subject to checks by Fire Authority etc.
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MSPs from ALL main political parties have called on
@ScotGovFM
to pause the “flawed”
#STLlicensing
, a “threat” to the economy.
Former SNP cabinet secretary & tourism Minister
@FergusEwingSNP
is one of 37 MSPs who have written to the FM demanding action:
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17
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Shocking complacency from Minister
@PaulMcLennan7
on
@BBCRadioScot
Good Morning Scotland today - everything is fine,
@solarlocgov
are happy with
#STLlicensing
so there is no problem.
Hands over ears, eyes closed.
30 days to go…
It’s so sad to hear of each closure of a small accommodation business because of
#STLlicensing
. There are so many now, but every one is a personal loss - and of course a financial loss of tourism income to local communities & Scotland’s economy.
@PaulMcLennan7
, please listen!
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Pressure is mounting on the
@ScotGovFM
to pause STL regulations as a group of cross-party MSPs has called for a rethink of the scheme which risks “irreparable damage” to the tourism industry:
@thetimes
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As a membership organisation, it’s so sad to lose members.
Another two gone today - one in Angus, one on Skye - who closed for good at the weekend because of
#STLlicensing
.
“It was a hard decision” one says, “but continuing to run our small, Apr-Oct biz just didn’t make sense”
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There are only 3 gas-safe engineers on Skye – & many other rural & remote locations face similar challenges, so many B&Bs & s/c operators aren't able to get their
#STLlicense
in so are going to be forced to be criminals as of Oct 1:
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The
@Edinburgh_CC
is taking money for STL license applications its own projections show are 80% LIKELY to FAIL. And those fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.
Outrageously unfair - and should be challenged
Having lost one judicial review and facing a second, this could easily lead to a third legal challenge if it’s shown the council intends to take money for applications it knows have only a 20 per cent chance of success.
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The
@ScotGovFM
does not address any of the points we actually made. We are not asking for more “time to get applications in”; we are evidencing how the licensing regime itself is badly flawed & needs reform.
Does this soundbite do justice to the strength of the case made to him?
New: Humza Yousaf has rejected a call from the body representing B and B accommodation in Scotland to delay a new licensing scheme deadline of October 1st.
The FM said the scheme is the "right thing to do" and operators have had "plenty of time" to get their applications in.
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It’s heartbreaking to read stories like this, received yesterday from a distraught Ayrshire B&B owner who is in the worst of all worlds: all bookings cancelled because of Govt restrictions, yet no Govt help as they have not been ordered to close.
@FergusEwingMSP
, they need help!
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Yes very true: that’s why since 2019 we urged
@scotgov
to go for a light-touch, digital enabled national registration scheme, rather than 32 different bureaucratic & onerous licensing schemes. And the
#EU
(which SG likes to align with) is now going for digital registration too
@DavidHTower
@murdo_fraser
@PerthandKinross
@scotgov
@ASSCnews
Registration would have addressed safety concerns and allowed sector to be counted properly. Lower cost, and chancers would have been discouraged. Job done.
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Scotland’s “B&B of the Year” may close due to
#STLlicensing
:
“The thing is, we are already getting inspected. We get inspected by the environmental health people, by the fire people and in my case by the AA because I am listed with the AA”
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Today’s the big day! B&Bs, guesthouses & hotels can open across Scotland. After months of closure & all your hard work to ensure you’re COVID safe, you can now open again. We wish you all the best as you prepare to welcome guests again. Many changes, but the same warm hospitality
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It was great to hear
@cllrcammyday
of
@Edinburgh_CC
on
@BBCRadioScot
Lunchtime Live today say he is SUPPORTIVE of calls for a delay to the 1 Oct deadline for
#STLlicensing
. That is excellent news! Thank you Cllr Day!
@PaulMcLennan7
- over to you!
@ASSCnews
@st_alliance
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“There is a.. more insidious attitude that holds the Scottish economy back.. a dispiriting prejudice against private enterprise & the ambition to expand” Magnus Linklater,
@timesscotland
:
Bureaucracy & state interference are killing Scottish business
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After another very long week, we must thank
@MCrothall
, Mhairi and the great team at
@st_alliance
for the great work they are doing for all their member organisations - including us - and for ensuring Scotland’s tourism sector speaks with one coherent “voice” to Government 👏👏
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“The Scottish B&B Association has made an eleventh hour appeal to Humza Yousaf urging him to pause the plans to introduce licences that would mean anyone providing a room or home for rent has to apply to their local council for permission”
@thetimes
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15
31
House swaps / home exchange banned in Scotland without a licence
Yet another example of how badly thought out & damaging the current
#STLlicensing
schemes are.
Complete reform needed
@PaulMcLennan7
@RichardLochhead
People who arrange house swaps to go on holiday could be fined unless they get a letting licence under SNP plans
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31
What the Daily Mail calls an “Airbnb tax” is also clobbering B&Bs, self-catering cottages and, even more bafflingly, home swaps and live-in carers. The closures are gathering pace
Still time to pause
#STLlicensing
for a reset and refocus,
@PaulMcLennan7
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14
31
The 1 Oct deadline has arrived. The die is cast.
Tourism Minister
@RichardLochhead
must be hoping that damage to Scotland’s tourism will be limited.
Housing Minister
@PaulMcLennan7
will be hoping so much affordable housing will be freed up that the pain is worth it.
We will see.
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@maxscottslade
@PaulMcLennan7
@RichardLochhead
@murdo_fraser
@FergusEwingSNP
@st_alliance
@ASSCnews
This is a traditional family-run B&B
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Former Cabinet Secretary & Tourism Minister (for 6 years)
@FergusEwingSNP
on
@BBCRadioScot
on why
#STLlicensing
must be paused & reformed:
“we should be celebrating & valuing B&Bs and self-catering businesses, not penalising them”.
Worth listening in full (7 mins):
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The SNP & Green government is “out of touch” with what Scottish business wants, a poll has found.
“64%.. said ministers did not understand the business environment compared with 9% who felt they did”
@timesscotland
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9
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It’s so sad to hear of each closure of a small accommodation business because of
#STLlicensing
. There are so many now, but every one is a personal loss - and of course a financial loss of tourism income to local communities & Scotland’s economy.
@PaulMcLennan7
, please listen!
@murdo_fraser
@TheScotsman
Thanks for this. I just closed my farmhouse STL - part of my home - I ran for many years. Welcomed guests from around the world to very rural S Lanarkshire. Received farm business diversification grant to upgrade in 2017. Now illegal to operate. Too costly to licence. Senseless.
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@mrblairbowman
Yes there are lots of similarities between the DRS policy and STLL policy.
Surprising really that no lessons have been learned.
Making one mistake at a time is only human. Making the same mistake over & over again is less forgivable
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We would always be happy to sit down with Ministers for a constructive discussion of ways forward that will achieve key aims but minimise collateral damage.
So would all the key industry bodies.
We have always engaged constructively at every stage; it’s been one-sided so far
@BrianDonnellyHT
@DickinsEdin
@ASSCnews
@SaveSCScotland
@ScotBandBassoc
What harm is there or barrier, for that matter, in getting those involved in this massive issue, sat around a table for a discussion before the deadline? It would show that reset between
@scotgov
and business relations as made by
@ScotGovFM
in his PFG are sincere
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29
This sounds like very bad news. We have not been given a reply yet.
Thousands of small businesses will suffer, many will be criminalised and Scotland’s tourism economy will take a hard hit.
@st_alliance
@ASSCnews
New: Humza Yousaf has rejected a call from the body representing B and B accommodation in Scotland to delay a new licensing scheme deadline of October 1st.
The FM said the scheme is the "right thing to do" and operators have had "plenty of time" to get their applications in.
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Our member Carlton Seamill B&B has been trading 20 years & won 14 awards, including “B&B of the Year” 2023 in Scottish Hospitality Awards.
Minister
@RichardLochhead
just wrote to congratulate owner Avril Rennie - but Avril may CLOSE due to
#STLlicensing
“unless there’s a rethink”
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22
29
Read these words and weep - this is what
@OrkneyCouncil
told a well-established B&B that may be closed through being driven to unviability by
#STLLicensing
- no wonder the loss of bedspaces in Orkney due to STLL is already well into three figures:
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Its vital
@scotgov
honours its long-standing commitment to a review of
#STLlicensing
in early 2024: that must not be a mere “update” but must be:
✅ Meaningful
✅ Substantive
Which means changes may be made to the legislation & guidance, to rectify issues raised in implementation
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“We know the Nats love motor homes – but why put so many B&Bs out of business with fatally flawed scheme?”:
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A scheme that critics say effectively bans short-term lets in Scotland brings “clear and definitive risks to the economy”, claims the former MSP who wrote the SNP’s economic prospectus for independence:
Clampdown on short-term lets ‘will hit economy’
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This is just the start. We’re afraid it’s going to get much worse.
We’ve been warning
@RichardLochhead
@PaulMcLennan7
&
@neilcgray
for months via the
#IAG
and so has
@ASSCnews
&
@st_alliance
.
SG are pressing on regardless, and
@ScotGovFM
says “it’s the right thing to do”
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17
28
It feels that all the detailed, rational arguments & evidence given by us,
@ASSCnews
,
@st_alliance
& the IAG over many months, backed by 22 industry orgs (across the whole economy), have simply gone into a black hole and one word has come back:
No.
So much for valuing tourism.
@ScotBandBassoc
@st_alliance
@ASSCnews
Feels peculiar that rather than replying to
@ScotBandBassoc
, he goes straight to the press?
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@Edinburgh_flex
@HumzaYousaf
Yes we’ve not seen any evidence that the FM or even the Ministers concerned have read & understood the points we,
@ASSCnews
,
@st_alliance
, you and others have made. They just say “no” and say we’ve had enough time to get applications in.
Is anyone actually listening???
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10
27
.
#scotchwhisky
is a huge driver of tourism & local spend.
Sadly this will be hit by
#STLlicensing
.
One example: the only B&B in Glenlivet is closing on Saturday, & the owners are now contacting clients from USA, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany & Australia to cancel their bookings
Looking back on our fantastic Spirit of Scotland event last week, celebrating
#ScotchWhisky
and its contribution to growth, tourism and the economy through exports and investment.
Thanks again to everyone who joined us. Learn more about what we do here 👉
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The non-refundable nature of the
#STLlicensing
application fees is jaw-droppingly unfair, unjust and indefensible.
Can it even be legal?
@oldtownrez
@scotgov
@ASSCnews
An
@ASSCnews
member being charged £24,000 in non-refundable fees alone for a 3 year licence to continue doing exactly what they have been doing for 42 years. Justified? Targeted? Reasonable? No wonder people are giving up.
@SaveSCScotland
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.
@Edinburgh_CC
is an “undertaking” which has a dominant position in the City’s accom sector (by controlling STLs), which may infringe competition law. We and
@ASSCnews
met and briefed the
@CMAgovUK
a few weeks ago, and they are investigating; one of the many live legal challenges
And meanwhile
@Edinburgh_CC
is one of the biggest hoteliers in the city - and its own forecasts discuss how its hotels will benefit in occupancy & room rates once it has drastically cut the competition from small self-catering businesses & B&Bs
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@AyrshireGreens
That is an utterly ridiculous statement. Lobbying is a legitimate part of democracy and nothing at all to do with bribery.
Green activists have always lobbied politicians- quite rightly. So do trade associations like us, on behalf of our members. Politicians should hear ALL sides
1
7
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Travel expert
@SimonCalder
tells
#STM2019
@st_alliance
Conference: “I’d like to apologise on behalf of England for the Brexit chaos in London. Politicians are committing criminal damage to Scottish tourism”.
0
8
25
Domestic visitor-nights down 26%: not a good time to plan a new tax on visitors (“TVL”)!
(Which by the way also applies to Scottish people travelling & staying in Scotland.)
The cost of living crisis contributed to a decline in domestic visitors during the first 3 months of the year, says
@VisitScotland
.
The average number of nights spent in Scotland fell by 26% compared with the previous year & spend dropped by 4%
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11
25
.
@Edinburgh_CC
Council have been subsiding giant hotel chain Travelodge by slashing its rents, as they clobber the smallest accom owners, local people, with
#STLLicensing
& draconian planning crackdowns.
A warped sense of priorities?
1
16
25
All sectors involved - including B&Bs and self caterers - are united in urging
@scotgov
to review & rethink the working of STL Licensing. Currently it is damaging, misconceived, badly targeted and disproportionate
The ASSC believes that any meaningful reset in relations between government and business must include a rethink on short-term let licensing as the current regulations remain unfit for purpose, will cost jobs and damage Scotland’s vital tourism sector.
@ScotBandBassoc
@uk_staa
0
1
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9
25
Scotland's B&B of the year winner could close its doors due to
@scotgov
’s 'reckless' holiday lets scheme:
0
14
25
TVL: Our Chairman David Weston explains to the
@SP_LocalGov
Committee at
@ScotParl
on 24/10 why Scotland differs from other countries with tourist taxes, as we are already an outlier in our existing high taxes on tourism (VAT, APD, alcohol duties, business rates etc):
1
9
25
Former Cab Sec & SNP Tourism Minister
@FergusEwingSNP
said:
“If this misconceived, costly and bureaucratic licensing system is not halted now, it will cause irreparable damage to a sector with thousands of businesses impacted — some of whom may well simply give up.”
Pressure is mounting on the
@ScotGovFM
to pause STL regulations as a group of cross-party MSPs has called for a rethink of the scheme which risks “irreparable damage” to the tourism industry:
@thetimes
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11
24
We were delighted to hear you say you were supportive of calls to delay the 1 Oct deadline, but that only
@scotgov
can delay it.
We called on
@ScotGovFM
this week to do so, and then of course would be happy to work constructively with you and others to reform the regulations
For our part, we’ll continue to work closely with the sector to ensure everyone understands what they need to do to meet the deadline and operate within the law. My door is always open, and I would welcome further discussions with industry representatives and government.
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“It is obviously so unfair. The ones causing the most grief are the ones who pay nothing.”
Highland Council calls on
@scotgov
to include campervans, wild campers & cruise ship arrivals in the TVL (tourist tax) legislation:
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The tragic irony is that we (& many others inc
@andywightman
MSP) have been calling for an “Airbnb crackdown” for years. We gave
@scotgov
a detailed submission on it in 2017. But this Licensing scheme is wrong & penalises B&Bs, who are NOT the problem
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Scotland’s new tourism strategy,
#ScotlandOutlook2030
, is being unveiled now at
@st_alliance
#STAConf
. The strapline is “Responsible Tourism for a Sustainable Future”
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It seems
@FifeCouncil
said in May 2022 in writing that B&Bs & guesthouses in Class 7 would NOT need to apply for an STL License. Then v recently when asked for confirmation, FC did a “U turn” and said they must now apply, citing a “change” in rules. The law has NOT changed
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Glad to see you are “busy”,
@neilcgray
, but it’s a pity you are not listening to actual small businesses, & indeed the 22 business representative bodies across the whole economy who wrote to you pleading to delay & reform
#STLlicensing
because it would damage the economy
Busy &informative summer of
@scotgov
engagements length & breadth of Scotland: Got to see innovative businesses, highly skilled workers &transformational technology demonstrating strength of Scotland’s economic &energy offering as we build fair, green& growing wellbeing economy👇
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Good to hear you are looking for “growth”
@neilcgray
: but shouldn’t that involve supporting small businesses, and not dismissing the concerns of 22 business representative organisations (across the whole Scottish economy) about the effects of
#STLlicensing
?
Any strategy looking for growth in Scotland needs to address Brexit to have any credibility. That is the major drag on growth, access to labour & impacting trade with our largest market. Both Labour & Tories wedded to Brexit & it’s economic chaos, only independence solves that
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This is happening across Scotland: B&Bs/STLs that thought they had effective Planning Permission, having dealt with their Council as they are for years (& often with the Use Class the Council advised them to use when they started) are now being told they must apply for new PP
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@angryollie
@JohnMasonMSP
@MoiAliEdinburgh
@TanyaN090770
@BrenReil84
@KarMel9111
@SaveSCScotland
And “aparthotels” of over 5 units are exempt too. But home swaps must be licensed! So many unfairnesses and anomalies in this appallingly badly drafted legislation.
We have been urging
@scotgov
to iron them out but they have not listened.
Now Minsters truly own the consequences
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10
22
.
#STLlicensing
“has led to warnings of thousands of job losses & a massive hit to the Scottish economy. Businesses.. away from tourism hotspots complain they are collateral damage in a dispute that has little to do with them”
@newsandpics
@Independent
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Yes sadly it’s not surprising that most MSPs don’t understand the issues: they have been misinformed by Ministers.
The letter sent to MSPs on the eve of the vote by
@PaulMcLennan7
was highly misleading and glossed over the issues (esp on Planning & on costs).
Ministers own this
@Edinburgh_flex
@FionaCampbell74
@JohnMasonMSP
@JoJoM27215717
@BrenReil84
@MoiAliEdinburgh
@TanyaN090770
@KarMel9111
@SaveSCScotland
@ScotBandBassoc
It is becoming more & more obvious that most MSPs have absolutely no idea about the new legislation they passed or the impact it will have on small businesses and tourism across Scotland. Btw planning permission is required even for a detached property miles from anywhere.
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The experience of
#STLlicensing
in Scotland is so damaging - not least for cities like Edinburgh - that the UK
@BandBassoc
is pressing the UK Govt NOT to follow
@scotgov
.
A light-touch registration scheme would ensure safety & a level playing-field
(as we told SG 4 years ago)
The Mayor is calling for “a licensing system for short-term lets [to] allow local authorities to limit the numbers of licenses issued in their area”. We do NOT agree - licensing is the wrong way to go, as
@scotgov
is demonstrating
We support a light touch REGISTRATION scheme
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10
22
The boss of one of the world’s biggest home swap holiday firms has urged
@scotgov
to rethink their plans for
#STLlicensing
. The CEO of wants an exemption for his industry:
Holiday swap boss tells Holyrood to drop licensing plans
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We are on
@BBCScotlandNews
Reporting Scotland tonight calling on
@scotgov
to pause
#STLlicensing
for at least a year to avoid the “ticking time bomb” currently due on 1st October:
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The
@scotgov
is launching draconian new rules for landlords. So what, you say? Just wait till you go to book that lovely B&B again for next summer... and find it shut for good -
@MailOnline
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10
22
Shocking. The politics of division.
We should be better than this. Small businesses are an integral part of our communities.
We should all be inclusive, not divisive
Following a social media thread earlier this week where I raised heartfelt and valid concerns about the
@scotgov
‘s looming short term lets legislation, I have faced a barrage of harassment, abuse and vitriol that has, I’m not ashamed to say, really affected me. (1/12)
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“The political controversy around a new licensing regime for short term lets is sizzling like a Full Scottish breakfast”
@BBCDouglasF
for
@BBCScotlandNews
- includes the closure of the last B&B in St Abbs:
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Businesses are closing because of
@scotgov
’s damaging & misconceived
#STLlicensing
legislation, so Scotland is losing tourism accom & hence future income for rural, coastal & island communities. This is sadly typical of many: an award-winning B&B deciding to close its doors:
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On 4 Jul we told
@RichardLochhead
:
“STL Licensing.. should be paused for at least another year, to give time to reset them to better achieve the original objectives set by SG, to avoid.. illegality.. resulting from the recent JR.. & to align.. to the “New Deal for Business” 1/2
Our member Carlton Seamill B&B has been trading 20 years & won 14 awards, including “B&B of the Year” 2023 in Scottish Hospitality Awards.
Minister
@RichardLochhead
just wrote to congratulate owner Avril Rennie - but Avril may CLOSE due to
#STLlicensing
“unless there’s a rethink”
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The Minister
@RichardLochhead
addressed
@st_alliance
#STAC23
, praising the tourism sector for leading Scotland’s recovery, and mentioning the challenges the industry has suffered & faces - without namechecking two of them:
#STLlicensing
and
#VisitorLevy
#TVL
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The warnings of
@andywightman
& others should be heeded. The lack of proper gas checks & CO detectors can be fatal. Two Airbnb guests died last year and SIX so far this year (that we know of) from CO poisoning. Luckily none in UK (yet).
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@FionaCampbell74
@Edinburgh_flex
@ScotGovFM
@PaulMcLennan7
@SaveSCScotland
Yes it’s utterly depressing that the level of debate has sunk so low, & pragmatism, compromise & even rationality seem to have gone out of the window.
It’s a case of “Something must be done. This is something. So we must do it.”
And the industry WANTED(sensible) regulation
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Only the (non-statutory) guidance changed.
The law as regards “Class 7” exempts only “hotels”, yet guesthouses & B&Bs may also be in C7. The wording is a fudge: it is very badly drafted and legally open to challenge.
Yet another area of legal challenge for
#STLlicensing
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@Liam4Orkney
@amcarmichaelMP
@PaulMcLennan7
@RichardLochhead
One 3 bedroom B&B in Orkney, after trading for 9 years (in the full knowledge of the Council of course), now has to pay
@OrkneyCouncil
£3,000 for “change of use” (!) plus £86 to send 2 letters to their neighbours, plus £1,039 in costs for
#STLlicensing
.
Is that “proportionate”?
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BREAKING: Minister
@KevinStewartSNP
has WITHDRAWN the SSI (draft law) on “Short Term Lets” Licensing from
@ScotParl
- see his letter below:
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As we said last month: “House swaps / home exchange banned in Scotland without a licence:
Yet another example of how badly thought out & damaging the current
#STLlicensing
schemes are”:
The boss of one of the world’s biggest home swap holiday firms has urged
@scotgov
to rethink their plans for
#STLlicensing
. The CEO of wants an exemption for his industry:
Holiday swap boss tells Holyrood to drop licensing plans
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It’s just sad that some of the challenges facing our industry were created or exacerbated by
@scotgov
Itself.
Real “listening” to businesses and helping them grow would be welcome
Tourism Minister
@RichardLochhead
attended the
@st_alliance
conference where he heard about opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
He reaffirmed
@scotgov
will continue working with the tourism and hospitality sector to attract visitors and support local economies.
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Hugely disappointing reply from minister
@PaulMcLennan7
- & extraordinary in the light of the weight of evidence of problems, raised by the sector via the
#IAG
& directly - and in the light of multiple potential legal challenges in the offing.
All the responsibility will be his
Letter from Housing Minister, Paul McLennan MSP:
“I do not plan to extend the deadline for existing short term let operators to apply, nor will I be instructing officials to make amendments to legislation.”
Read more:
@FionaCampbell74
@VisitScotNews
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@EeHRN
@SaveSCScotland
@Edinburgh_CC
We and
@ASSCnews
pressed
@scotgov
for years for a simple, low cost, digital, national registration scheme. To no avail.
And now the EU, which SG says it wants to align with, are going for: a simple, low cost, digital, EU-wide registration scheme.
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Edinburgh SNP MP
@TommySheppard
thinks “home sharing” (which includes B&Bs) should be EXEMPT from
#STLlicensing
, as it isn’t part of the problem.
Yet his party’s Govt is days away from banning home sharing without a licence - did he & his colleagues not understand their own law?
This isn’t about home sharing – where people let out their spare room in their own home for the festival – and there’s still some work to be done there. This is about the thousands of homes that have been converted to use as tourist accommodation, stoking our housing challenges.
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The entire small business community across Scotland is calling on whoever is elected today as the new
#FirstMinister
to review, rethink and reset
@scotgov
’s relationship with SMEs, lift unnecessary burdens and enable growth. Livelihoods are at stake!
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