Dear Colleagues,
The ASSC has written to the First Minister John Swinney to request an urgent meeting to discuss the Scottish Government’s short-term let regulations.
While the limited changes to the Licensing Order earlier this year were welcome, they do not go far enough to address the substantive concerns faced by businesses throughout the country. Sadly, neither Ministers nor Officials appear to fully appreciate the real lived experience of our membership.
That is why we hope you can strengthen our plea by contacting the First Minister – especially if you live in his constituency (Perthshire North) – noting the ongoing concerns about the viability of your business but highlighting that the ASSC have the solutions available to put things right.
The First Minister can be contacted at: firstminister@gov.scot
As ever, we thank you for your support.
Fiona Campbell, CEO of the ASSC.
Dear First Minister,
As we approach the end of another peak tourism season in Scotland, all parts of our tourism and hospitality sector can be proud of what they have achieved in welcoming visitors from near and afar. It also provides an opportunity to take stock, assess what has worked and what has not, and prepare for the future.
Those self-catering properties that have managed to remain in business – despite monetary and regulatory challenges – have played a key role in supporting Scotland’s vital tourism industry. However, their continued ability to provide high-quality alternative accommodation is coming under severe strain.
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) applauded your commitment to fostering more positive relations with the business community, including through the New Deal for Business. While we are engaged in ongoing discussions with your government colleagues, and we appreciate the limited changes made to the Licensing Order, we are very disappointed at the lack of progress in responding to sectoral concerns and the willingness of both Ministers and Officials to fully understand the lived experience of our members. What we have encountered is unsatisfactory: be it gatekeeping or misinformation from officials regarding statistics relating to STL planning and licensing which fundamentally misconstrue the reality on the ground.
We understand that you will soon meet with the UK STAA who represent multinational platforms amongst others. However, the ASSC is a trade body representing over 1,700 members who are based within Scotland – indigenous, professional small businesses who are embedded in local communities – including in your Perthshire North constituency.
We therefore appeal to you, in your capacity as First Minister, to meet with the ASSC at your earliest convenience to break the policy logjam on short-term let regulation and help ensure a sustainable and vibrant future for Scotland’s £1bn self-catering industry.
Yours sincerely,
Fiona Campbell, CEO of the ASSC.