Homes and Planning Bill

Brian Mathew Excerpts

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Andrew George]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that point. The problem experienced by his constituent is replicated throughout the country. It certainly is in my area, and I am sure the situation is the same in a tourism area such as Torbay. We looked on the internet—in the days when one could look on the internet—and found that 2,700 holiday lets and Airbnbs were available in the constituency, but there was not a single home for private rent within the local housing allowance. Some 65 private rents were available, but at rents significantly above the local housing allowance. That shows the degree of imbalance in areas such as ours, where there is an incentive for those who own more than one property to make their properties available for the holiday trade, rather than as affordable housing for local people.

The Bill’s purpose is to empower local communities to deliver affordable homes. I will come to the relevant clauses in a moment.

[Brian Mathew (Melksham and Devizes) (LD)]

For the past two years I have been trying to get suitable accommodation for Chantelle Black, a lady who lives in Devizes and has seven children. She is forced to live in a two-bed flat. Suitable accommodation to house her simply is not available. Such problems need to be addressed.

[Andrew George]

I agree. I hope that my hon. Friend is able to assist Chantelle to pursue all the potential routes by which her housing need can be met. I often hold a casework surgery in my constituency on a Friday morning—I seem to be holding one now in the Chamber. Perhaps I should invite others to bring forward their cases, although I do not wish to make light of the seriousness of the issue.

As I said, the Labour party in my constituency supports the Bill. Indeed, my constituent Cornelius Olivier, whom I mentioned earlier, has travelled all the way to London, and we delivered his petition, with nearly 2,000 signatures, to Downing Street, and indeed to Parliament, last night.

I also note that the Conservatives support the proposals in the Bill. Only a few years ago, in February 2024, the now Lord Gove announced that the Conservatives intended to bring in a change of the use-class order to require those wishing to convert a permanently occupied home to a holiday let to apply for planning permission.