MP warns new energy performance penalties could 'devastate' Shropshire tourism and end staycations
A proposed "penalty" on holiday lets would "devastate" tourism in Shropshire and could spell the end of staycations, an MP has warned.
Stuart Anderson MP says more than 2,000 holiday lets in the county could face bills of up to £15,000 per cottage under planned reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime.
The plans would effectively ban holiday lets from 2028 unless owners secure an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C, or spend £15,000 attempting to reach it.
The South Shropshire MP said minimum EPC rules were originally designed to tackle fuel poverty among long-term tenants. However, under current proposals they would also apply to holiday lets at the point of being rented out, regardless of who pays the energy bills.
Following discussions with the Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC UK), Mr Anderson is urging the Government to rethink the rules for short-term accommodation. He argues that holiday lets should be exempt, stressing the sector's major contribution to Shropshire's visitor economy.
He said the industry generated more than £166 million in overnight stays between 2022 and 2024 and supports more than 3,400 jobs across 800 hospitality venues.
In a letter to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, he said EPCs should not be applied to short-term holiday accommodation.
Stuart Anderson MP said: "Holiday lets in South Shropshire provide a sustainable tourism option that supports our rural economy and the regeneration of older buildings, including diversified farms. In Shropshire, overnight trips generated over £166 million for the local economy between 2022 and 2024, with more than 2.4 million bednights spent in the county.
"This has a positive impact on the local hospitality sector, which employs more than 3,400 people across 800 venues. I am greatly concerned by government plans to extend EPCs to holiday lets. This would impose a multi-billion penalty that would devastate our visitor economy sector, with expensive bills for unnecessary energy upgrades that put their future at risk and spell the end of the staycation.
"Given this situation, I have urged the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to rethink these reforms before they make life even harder for businesses in our tourism and hospitality sectors, which are already under huge pressure from rising costs and more tax hikes announced in the Autumn Budget."
Mr Anderson said many holiday lets are used mainly in summer, when heating demands are low, and often restricted by planning rules to fewer than 28 days use per year.
The Conservative MP stated that many of these properties are more than a century old, making compliance with EPC standards technically impractical without major structural alterations.
