Hugh Newsam retweeted
Posting as a reminder of inflated nonsense that's been claimed in the past so we remember to take with a great deal of scepticism anything that is claimed in the present. Sort out the black market you created. 1,434 full time licenses in @edinburgh_cc is not the issue. #SaveSC
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Surely the more shocking statistic or ‘loophole’ if you will, would be the amount of StLs who haven’t engaged in the biased system at all and don’t have a licence and don’t pay the accommodation tax? @CllrChasBooth doesn’t seem interested in that.
Any statistics for noise disturbance? No? Didn’t think so, because the vast majority come from long term residents not STLs. That pesky data doesn’t fit this ‘loophole’ narrative does it Chas? It’s a #blanketban by @Edinburgh_CC #SaveSC
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Greens’ 12,000 short-term let fantasy leaves £9.6m levy black hole — licensed operators left holding the blame! @EdinburghGreens @scottishgreens @EdinburghLabour @Edinburgh_CC @heraldscotland @EdinburghTories @ASSCnews @FionaCampbell74 @SaveSCScotland @BBCScotlandNews @scotgov
Hugh Newsam retweeted
This is another example of unintended consequences of @scotgov legislation. @StephenFlynnSNP we need this cat & mouse game your Gov created urgently addressed. #SaveSC @ASSCnews
** Yesterday you didn't need planning permission. Tomorrow you may need it. Our policies have changed since you started your business, so you might not get it now…. **
The gap between @argyllandbute Council's assurances on its proposed short-term let control areas and its published licensing policy is deeply troubling.
The Council says existing operators will not be retrospectively affected.
Yet its licensing policy expressly anticipates existing licence holders having to apply for planning permission or a Certificate of Lawfulness after designation. Refusal could mean their licence is refused, varied or revoked. I read that as a clear route to affecting established businesses through licensing.
How are we supposed to reconcile those two positions?
The Council’s papers also models a hypothetical 10% reduction in existing self-catering properties, approximately 140 properties, returning to residential use.
Whose businesses does the Council envisage closing?
Whose livelihoods are at risk?
There is absolutely no evidence that these proposals will deliver affordable permanent homes. A business closing does not guarantee that its property becomes an affordable home, or even a permanently occupied one.
If the Council provides definitive, published confirmation that designation will not trigger blanket demands for existing, unchanged businesses to prove their historic planning status, including at licence renewal, we will welcome it.
Until then, I cannot advise established operators to take comfort from the claim that this only affects new proposals.
I believe operators have every reason to be worried, and every reason to respond.
Please respond to the consultation by 15 November 2026: argyll-bute.gov.uk/planning-…
I urge everyone affected to ask for evidence, clear safeguards and an honest explanation of what these proposals mean for existing businesses.
Respond to the consultation. It is critical.
#SelfCatering #ArgyllAndBute #ScottishTourism #SupportLocalBusinesses @ASSCnews @st_alliance @Argyll_IslesApp
Hugh Newsam retweeted
** Yesterday you didn't need planning permission. Tomorrow you may need it. Our policies have changed since you started your business, so you might not get it now…. **
The gap between @argyllandbute Council's assurances on its proposed short-term let control areas and its published licensing policy is deeply troubling.
The Council says existing operators will not be retrospectively affected.
Yet its licensing policy expressly anticipates existing licence holders having to apply for planning permission or a Certificate of Lawfulness after designation. Refusal could mean their licence is refused, varied or revoked. I read that as a clear route to affecting established businesses through licensing.
How are we supposed to reconcile those two positions?
The Council’s papers also models a hypothetical 10% reduction in existing self-catering properties, approximately 140 properties, returning to residential use.
Whose businesses does the Council envisage closing?
Whose livelihoods are at risk?
There is absolutely no evidence that these proposals will deliver affordable permanent homes. A business closing does not guarantee that its property becomes an affordable home, or even a permanently occupied one.
If the Council provides definitive, published confirmation that designation will not trigger blanket demands for existing, unchanged businesses to prove their historic planning status, including at licence renewal, we will welcome it.
Until then, I cannot advise established operators to take comfort from the claim that this only affects new proposals.
I believe operators have every reason to be worried, and every reason to respond.
Please respond to the consultation by 15 November 2026: argyll-bute.gov.uk/planning-…
I urge everyone affected to ask for evidence, clear safeguards and an honest explanation of what these proposals mean for existing businesses.
Respond to the consultation. It is critical.
#SelfCatering #ArgyllAndBute #ScottishTourism #SupportLocalBusinesses @ASSCnews @st_alliance @Argyll_IslesApp
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Scary figures? Would those be like the scary figures that Living Rent fabricated claiming there were 12,000 STLs in Edinburgh while the reality is more like 2,600 last time I saw the official figures
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Has @CllrChasBooth put you up to this or @EdinburghGreens - please do not fall for the smoke & mirrors. @Edinburgh_CC are responsible for enforcement but Chas has them hunting down legal, licenced STLs - do not do their dirty work - they're failing residents AND lawful hosts! 🤬
Hugh Newsam retweeted
They are also not your properties
"hoardn our homes", these are privately owned with all the massive costs, they are not the subsidised, usually free places you are familiar with. If landlords had more protection from the many rogue tenants , they might make them available
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Brexit was an FSB operation aimed at weakening NATO. As was installing Trump as POTUS. The aim was to allow unanswered aggression by Russia against other countries. Russia invested heavily to ensure Brexit's success.
Hugh Newsam retweeted
You can operate a self-catering property, provided it doesn’t affect the property’s use as a permanent residential home.
If its a STL, it’s not being used as a permanent residential home.
That makes it impossible to qualify, while insisting they haven’t effectively banned STLs?
Speaks to the farcical claim that people staying in a self catering unit are somehow going to make unacceptable noise. Reality is the opposite with @edinburgh_cc figures showing bulk of complaints are residents complaining against other permanent residents. #SaveSC @ASSCnews
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Here’s a ‘loophole’ you might want to take credit for @CllrChasBooth: take the 4300 STLs currently on Airbnb not displaying a licence, let’s estimate £5000 revenue in this quarter; that’s £250 per property, per quarter lost in Accommodation Tax (sorry; visitor levy). That’s £1m PER QUARTER in lost revenue. Why then, are you and @Edinburgh_CC so determined to shut down the ever-diminishing amount of licensed STls paying the tax? Especially in the total absence of any evidence of loss of amenity for most of them. #SaveSC @bbcandrewpicken @deadlinenews @vickimillerVS @adamtomforrest @CBI_Scotland @SCOTOnetwork @stephenjardine @briandonnellyHT @collarbrodies @licensinglaws @stvnews @stvsharon @montaukian @mediawummin @RhodaFMorrison @donaldturvill @heraldscotland @bbcscotlandnews @edinburghpaper
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Whilst @edinburgh_CC actively axes full-time licensed self-catering operators making up just 1% of housing by conflating with planning, it ignores the far larger black market it created; a market costing the city millions in lost VL. This is a travesty of natural justice. #SaveSC
Here’s a ‘loophole’ you might want to take credit for @CllrChasBooth: take the 4300 STLs currently on Airbnb not displaying a licence, let’s estimate £5000 revenue in this quarter; that’s £250 per property, per quarter lost in Accommodation Tax (sorry; visitor levy). That’s £1m PER QUARTER in lost revenue. Why then, are you and @Edinburgh_CC so determined to shut down the ever-diminishing amount of licensed STls paying the tax? Especially in the total absence of any evidence of loss of amenity for most of them. #SaveSC @bbcandrewpicken @deadlinenews @vickimillerVS @adamtomforrest @CBI_Scotland @SCOTOnetwork @stephenjardine @briandonnellyHT @collarbrodies @licensinglaws @stvnews @stvsharon @montaukian @mediawummin @RhodaFMorrison @donaldturvill @heraldscotland @bbcscotlandnews @edinburghpaper
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Another one bites the dust as @Edinburgh_CC , Landlord @CllrChasBooth and crew continue their #blanketban , closing down the licence fee-paying, visitor levy- paying STLs. Meanwhile, the illegal ones happily continue trading oblivious to any pesky fees or expensive safety checks. Fast forward a couple of years and we’ll have nothing but unregulated, potentially unsafe STLs left, not paying the visitor levy that @Edinburgh_CC have already spent! No wonder they’re in so much debt. #saveSC
The Welsh version of Cllr Osler banning term 'blanket ban' in Dev.Sub. com even though there's a TOTAL BLANKET BAN on STLs. @CouncillorCowdy has an excellent way of dealing with Oslers' irritation 😂 @ASSCnews @SaveSCScotland @ScotTories @EdinburghTories
edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/p…
Hugh Newsam retweeted
The draconian STL licensing scheme within Edinburgh has completely failed to address the affordable housing crisis.
The typical Edinburgh home is now worth £284,900.. looking back over the last five years, the average property value has grown by 14.3%.
Hugh Newsam retweeted
@lornaslater @scottishgreens can you give an example- just one- of a stair that is ‘nothing but STLs’? There aren’t any. Unless you count the serviced apartment blocks that are popping up all over the city, that you don’t seem to have a problem with. The STL register confirms this. Stop telling lies to push your vendetta. #SaveSC @BBCScotlandNews
What about the unlicensed STLs who have no planning, no safety checks, no licence and don’t pay the visitor levy? @Edinburgh_CC @CllrChasBooth have no plans to close them down as it’s too much effort. edinburghnews.scotsman.com/n…
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Edinburgh Council policy made it easier and far more profitable to build student accommodation than homes for local people.
They went after a relatively small number of self-catering properties as a vote winner.
Result? Affordable temporary accommodation for families was lost.
In Edinburgh, the amount of purpose-built student accommodation has increased by almost 60%. Despite this increase, students say that finding affordable housing is harder than ever.
Hear the full story on the latest episode of In Case You Missed It on BBC iPlayer and BBC News YouTube channel. bit.ly/3UYf9qT
Hugh Newsam retweeted
Jim Ratcliffe has lost confidence in the world’s 3rd largest innovation economy with two fifths of Europes high growth young companies. Ignorant and ill-informed this tax exile deserves no air time bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm04…
Hugh Newsam retweeted
If none of the applications for change of use from residential to Secondary let are approved, that seems like a #blanketban to me. Their fake outrage at the suggestion from @CouncillorCowdy is ridiculous. There is NOTHING one can do to get planning from @Edinburgh_CC #gocowdy #SaveSC
@CllrChasBooth It really is a blanket ban, though. Let's be honest.
Mind you, the black market is thriving.
Epic policy fail.
Hugh Newsam retweeted
@CouncillorCowdy blooming brilliant! @ScotTories @EdinburghTories. If only we had more cllrs like him! See video clip in comments below!
