THE MP for North Cornwall has presented a bill to Parliament that he hopes will end the ‘AirBnB’ loopholes.

Ben Maguire’s bill seeks to close a damaging loophole that currently allows second home owners to convert residential properties into short-term holiday lets without planning oversight, fuelling housing shortages and undermining council tax obligations. If passed, the new law would require formal planning permission before any property can be switched from residential to holiday let status.

The proposal follows a meeting with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook earlier this year, in which Mr Maguire and other MPs from Cornwall laid out the growing housing emergency in their constituencies. The Minister was said to be “receptive and engaged” during the discussion, and the Bill is now being formally introduced to drive the issue onto the Government’s legislative agenda.

The MP’s bill, due to be presented today, has secured support from MPs across the South West. Collectively, they recognise the growing crisis caused by unchecked short-term letting, as each is also facing similar challenges in their own coastal and rural constituencies.

The MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to formally present my Bill to the House today, because this is all about putting local families first. In North Cornwall we have literally thousands of people stuck on housing waiting lists, while more and more homes are being lost to unregulated short-term lets. My Bill is a targeted and fair proposal to stop council-tax avoidance from the current system, give power back to local authorities, and protect our communities.

“I’ve been very proud to work closely with other MPs from Cornwall, Devon, and the wider South West, to get this proposal to Parliament. I’m hopeful that the Government will take this issue as seriously as it deserves. Together, we make it very clear: enough is enough.”