The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has expressed disappointment following Perth & Kinross Council’s decision to progress two Short-Term Let Control Areas.
Ahead of the Council meeting, the ASSC submitted a detailed briefing to elected members, urging an evidence-led approach and raising questions about the likely effectiveness, proportionality and measurable outcomes of the proposed intervention.
Commenting on the decision, ASSC Chief Executive Fiona Campbell MBE said:
“The ASSC are deeply disappointed that Perth and Kinross Council will progress with these two short-term let control areas. There is no demonstrable link showing how restricting self-catering will deliver the affordable housing that local communities need. What it will do is damage a vital part of the local economy, undermine tourism, small family-run businesses, and the many jobs that depend on visitor spending across rural Perthshire.
It is also worth noting that the consultation itself attracted just over 200 responses and the council vote in favour was the narrowest possible – 20 votes to 19. That is hardly a ringing endorsement for a policy change of this magnitude and raises serious questions about whether the threshold for such a significant intervention has been met.
Perthshire relies on tourism and self-catering is an integral component of the visitor accommodation base, boosting the economy by £52m per year and supporting nearly 2,000 jobs. Rather than scapegoating small businesses, we need to shift the policy focus to meaningful solutions that won’t harm the local economy, such as the delivery of multi-tenure housing reflecting demographic need and tackling the unacceptable number of economically inactive empty homes.”