Response to motion on holiday rental properties

At a Full Council meeting on Thursday 14 October, a motion was put forward to Councillors to discuss issues raised by residents concerning the growth in holiday rental properties, and the current shortage of rented accommodation in Thanet.

The motion can be viewed online.

A vote by Councillors determined not to debate the motion at the meeting to allow an opportunity to conduct a more informed discussion.

Cllr Jill Bayford, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
“The issues surrounding rented holiday accommodation in the district are complex and need to be looked at in detail. Tourism plays a vital role in the economy of Thanet and we need to be sure that any decisions that may impact on it are interrogated thoroughly.

“As we are not in possession of all of the necessary information to review the broader landscape, this evening (Thursday 14 October) we took the decision against debating the motion. This will allow us the opportunity to conduct an informed discussion, based on accurate data and involving the appropriate experts.

“We appreciate that housing is a very important issue to our local communities. We care deeply about providing genuinely affordable homes to rent or buy and our Housing Strategy (2020-2025) sets out a plan to ensure that everyone has access to a safe, secure, well-maintained and affordable home.

“Unusually for a council of our size, we are taking a lead in developing new and affordable homes and in the past 9 years we have provided 162 new affordable rented homes, and have funding in place for a further 28 homes. This represents a total investment of £43m in our development and acquisitions programmes. We are committed to continuing this work into the future, providing more affordable rented homes for local people.”