In Conversation with Jaxon and Carly
Jaxon and Carly have lived in Cornwall for 20 years. They have a young daughter, Noa, and find the balance in life that living in Cornwall offers them, as a family, ideal. But the housing crisis has meant that finding their own corner of home in Cornwall hasn’t been easy: at the moment, they’re living with Carly’s mum. Like many people, they’ve struggled to get a foot on the property ladder, but believe that new regulations would benefit everyone.
“Holiday homes benefit my work, but I can’t get on the housing ladder”
Jaxon makes a living as a landscaper, and working on the gardens of holiday homes provides significant benefits to his business. Both he and Carly recognise the importance of tourism to Cornwall’s economy: the loss of visitors during the pandemic made Cornwall’s vital need for tourism clear. But the need for a better balance between tourisms and the needs of locals is evident.
“You can have rows and rows of property and no-one’s been in them for four or five months of working there.”
In the summer, parts of Cornwall can feel overcrowded, with large numbers of tourists bringing an increase of traffic on the roads and issues with parking. However, in the winter months, Jaxon has found that there are some areas where he’s working which feel deserted. This is a problem that the Government’s proposed registration system could help to alleviate.
“More transparency allows the local councils to see what’s going on in any given area and what kind of housing’s available and why.”
Jaxon and Carly support the idea of a national registration system for ‘holiday lets’. The Government’s proposal - which Airbnb are putting their full support behind - would give local councils greater insight into who owns and rents which properties, and where. The increased clarity would also help councils to deal with rule breakers.
“More transparency allows the local councils to see what’s going on in any given area and what kind of housing’s available and why.”
Jaxon and Carly support the idea of a national registration system for ‘holiday lets’. The Government’s proposal - which Airbnb are putting their full support behind - would give local councils greater insight into who owns and rents which properties, and where. The increased clarity would also help councils to deal with rule breakers.
“The closure of textile factories and loss of skilled jobs resulted in high unemployment rates, so Cornwall now heavily relies on tourism.”
Tourism is essential for Cornwall’s economy: preventing visitors benefits no one. New rules for ‘holiday lets’ would provide a more sustainable and long-term solution for the region’s housing crisis - ensuring that visitors and locals alike can enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer.
“The closure of textile factories and loss of skilled jobs resulted in high unemployment rates, so Cornwall now heavily relies on tourism.”
Tourism is essential for Cornwall’s economy: preventing visitors benefits no one. New rules for ‘holiday lets’ would provide a more sustainable and long-term solution for the region’s housing crisis - ensuring that visitors and locals alike can enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer.
“It wouldn’t help if they use it to bring in rules that end up penalising the very people that the tourism industry helps.”
“It wouldn’t help if they use it to bring in rules that end up penalising the very people that the tourism industry helps.”
Read more here about the proposed regulations and why Airbnb is supporting the Government’s plans.