Michael Gove says his leave allows crackdown — a matter of «simple fairness»; Photo: Paul Grover.
Vacation home owners are turning coastal towns into hotels with «a near-permanent Airbnb setting,» said Michael Gove.
Fiercely defending their plans to force second home owners to obtain building permits before renting out their properties for vacation rentals, the housing minister insisted that «it's a matter of simple fairness.»
In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: «We're not saying that people shouldn't be able to when they are away on vacation or on business, rent out their home through Airbnb. Of course they can.
“But there is a phenomenon. And this is happening in coastal areas and in some of our most attractive tourist areas; where you would have institutions buying up properties and then having them in an almost permanent Airbnb setting.
the residents expected it — and turned it into a sort of rival hotel.
The trend «is causing some local anxiety» and also gives Airbnb second home owners a competitive advantage over B&B or small hotel owners, he said.
«I& #39;I'm not saying that people shouldn't be able to run this kind of business. But if this is a business and not a home, then we have to acknowledge [it].”
1404 Number of new vacation rental companies
Airbnb responded to Mr. Gove's remarks by saying that the vast majority of hosts are regular people, and 40% say the extra income helps them make ends meet and afford rising living costs.
Theo Lomas Airbnb's head of government relations for Northern Europe added: «Any scheduling rules restricting British families.» the use of their properties must be proportionate and based on clear evidence.»
Mr Gove's crackdown on country homes has drawn criticism from the Conservative Party amid fears he could soon go to war with second home owners of all types.
Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the move was «inappropriate». Middlesbrough South MP Simon Clarke, Mr Gove's predecessor as Housing Minister under Liz Truss, called it «anti-business».
Rishi Sunak was surrounded by claims that the government is broader targeting anti-business program. ever since he took office and promoted a corporate tax increase.
But Mr. Gove vigorously defended Mr. Sunak, who will host his first Business Connect conference on Monday to get information from top executives.
He said: “I think Rishi probably , is one of the prime ministers who has ever been the most pro-business prime minister.
“I know government-business relations have been criticized in the past.
“But we have Rishi, a man appointed by the chancellor and appointed in Jeremy by a friend and colleague who wants to work with business to provide the growth that this country requires.
“And working with business means getting the right tax structure, the right regulatory framework. But also be in listening mode when it comes to making sure the business gets the support it needs: skills, infrastructure, etc. from the government.»
Michael Gove (left) and Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy (center) during Sunak's election campaign. Photo: Stephan Russo/PA Wire
The Housing Minister noted that former senior investment banker Frank Petitgas was hired earlier this month as a business adviser to the prime minister to strengthen relations with the private sector.
He added that a new crusade had begun within the government in support of business, stating: «All of us, as individual cabinet ministers, have been asked to strengthen our relationship with business, not only in the areas for which we are responsible, but in general.»
“So on Tuesday, the prime minister in the cabinet made it very clear: “We need to make sure the UK remains one of the best places in the world to do business.” And that means engaging with business at all levels.”
Asked whether the need to “strengthen” ties with business leaders was a tacit admission that the government was not in the know, Mr Gove replied: “In In the past, some business sectors have expressed criticism that we do not necessarily have the best relationship with them.
“Any business leader would say that no matter how successful you have been in the past, you need to be more ambitious in the future. And this is also Rishi's approach.
“Everything we have done to help businesses grow in this country and attract investment from abroad. In a world where competition is ever-increasing, we need to move even faster and further.”
Mr Gove has been criticized for his interventionist approach to application planning. He has been involved in a number of high-profile events, including the Marks & Spencer's flagship store on Oxford Street and the ITV Towers project on London's South Bank.
Mr Gove forced developers to stop Signs and amplifiers Reconstruction of the Spencer Marble Arch store. Photo: Stephen Chung/Alamy Stock Photo
Speaking after the opening of a £7m railway component repair plant in Goole, the housing minister said: “When it comes to outstanding designs: quality matters. We must build for the long term.
“We have a brilliant architectural profession in our country. When we think about buildings, we should think about their aesthetic qualities.
"Because it is important for all of us, not just those who are in them and who use them, but and those who are part of this wider created environment.
"So one of the key points that I've made clear is that we must demand high aesthetic standards.»
However, he suggested that he was not afraid to rule in favor of projects, which could harm the environment if it made economic sense — for example, the decision to give the go-ahead to the UK's first new deep coal mine in 30 years in Cumbria.
Planning decisions should be geared towards «economic growth». , he said.
'We must build for the long term' Mr Gove said, setting up a £7 million rail component repair facility in Goole. Photo: Kevin Michael Ladden. Photo
Mr Gove said: controversy. [But] the general point of view that I have put forward and that the team has taken into account is growth and investment.
“I think most people think that in a country like England, and in the whole of the UK, it is important that we stand for high quality architecture, and also that when you have a really important big project that … It will stimulate the economic growth, and we all agree that this sometimes has to take precedence over other considerations.”
Scottish-born Mr Gove is also Secretary of State for Development. Last week, he countered in a Telegraph column for David Frost, who called for the devolution to be reversed following the SNP scandal and former leader Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Gove said: “I don't agree with David on this. And I love David. I enjoy reading his articles. I enjoyed working with them in government. He is one of the most original authority commentators and we all served the brilliant Brexit deal he negotiated.
“In this area, I disagree. I think devolution is a good thing.
«That's not to say that I think SNP did a good job of it, but I think the principle of devolution is absolutely correct.»
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