SaveSelfCatering

Yet another attack on Short Term Lets. #SaveSC

A major breakthrough on non-domestic rates for Scotland’s self-catering sector after months of tenacious, evidence-led lobbying. ✔️ Reduced rateable values ✔️ More businesses back in SBBS ✔️ Cap on increases Proof that advocacy works. @ASSCnews @ScotLandEstates @scothospgroup @ScotChambers @ScotAgritourism @st_alliance 🔗 assc.co.uk/news-items/ten… #SelfCatering #Scotland #Tourism #Proud

Unemployment has risen to 5.2%, with 20.7% of UK adults between the ages of 16 and 64 are said to be economically inactive, meaning they aren’t in work and are not actively looking for work, with an estimated 120,000 hospitality jobs gone since @RachelReevesMP increased the NI for employers and reduced the threshold Full stats: ons.gov.uk/employmentandl… HALT the rates hike in Scotland and cut VAT at a UK level or things will only get worse

A VAT cut is the quickest way to reduce business costs and generate growth everywhere. Thank you @wendychambLD for calling for an emergency VAT cut for hospitality. Government must reduce the cost of doing business to alleviate the cost of living crisis.

This is simply disappointing journalism. I approached the recent @PressandJournal article on Pennan anticipating a focused analysis of the role of short-term lets. In reality, the core of the piece centres on a different issue altogether: the burden of expensive conservation requirements on residents and the growing call for more affordable options to maintain their homes. Those are important issues. They deserve attention in their own right. But framing the story as an Airbnb or STL issue feels, at best, misleading. It risks reinforcing a narrative that simply isn’t borne out by the substance of the article itself. And crucially, the evidence simply doesn’t support the narrative. According to the official Aberdeenshire Council register, there are only 2 licensed short-term lets in Pennan. When headlines don’t match the evidence, we don’t just lose nuance, we lose trust. If we are serious about addressing depopulation in our rural and coastal communities, then we need to be equally serious about honest, evidence-led conversations. That means resisting the temptation to default to easy scapegoats and instead engaging with the real structural issues at play. We can and should do better than clickbait. #ResponsibleTourism #EvidenceBasedPolicy #ShortTermLets #RuralCommunities @ASSCnews @st_alliance @PressandJournal pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberde…

@jomowat 'playing the system' or 'trying to save their livelihoods'? The 'murky' bit is the conflation between licensing & planning! Licensing STL businneses then weaponising planning to shut them down is @Edinburgh_CC playing the system - & making a lot of 💰 in the process!

This is bureaucracy on overdrive looking for any rationale to justify a @Edinburgh_CC decision that makes no economic sense whatsoever. We need sensible leadership. This is not it. #SaveSC

4/ Tourism supports thousands of Scottish jobs, local businesses, and communities. The opportunity isn’t to restrict travel, it’s to work together across the whole sector to make tourism more sustainable, responsible, and beneficial for the places people visit. thetimes.com/uk/scotland/ar… @st_alliance @VisitScotNews @scotgov @FionaCampbell74 @SaveSCScotland

3/ Short-term accommodation often uses existing homes, avoiding the carbon impact of new construction. Many operators are also investing in energy efficiency and eco-conscious builds, while encouraging longer stays and self-catering.

2/ People aren’t going to stop travelling. The real challenge is making tourism more sustainable - across aviation, transport, accommodation and visitor behaviour.

1/ A planning refusal for a short-term let in Edinburgh is now being linked to climate concerns. But if we’re serious about tackling climate change, we need honest conversations about the whole tourism ecosystem - not just one part of it. 🧵

Edinburgh’s visitor economy is being hammered by its own council. Edinburgh International Festival says the tourist tax will leave it £50,000 out of pocket in accommodation costs. Self catering businesses warned this would damage the whole ecosystem = festivals, restaurants, etc!

Moray business owner calls for self-catering overhaul after non-domestic rates shock northern-scot.co.uk/news/temporary…

@JohnSwinney You've tried your hardest to break Scotland's visitor economy. Regulating self catering to death thru licensing and planning. Punishing 5% visitor levies. Extreme NDR increases of 400%. 40% B&Bs shut. That's the standard you've delivered in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿.

The hypocrisy is astounding for @EdinburghGreens @scottishgreens. They decimated the self-catering industry with their vendetta against small businesses - recruited @jomowat to help with their dirty work, & said not a word on the Fringe Ship polluting cruise ship - charlatans!

The crusade to shutdown local self catering in Edinburgh has benefitted global hotel groups including the Israeli fattah group and made no difference to the affordable housing crisis. More missteps by the @EdinburghGreens. democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.…

Since @Edinburgh_CC imposed its regime hundreds of local self-catering operators have been forced out of biz. It has only served to drive up prices & reduce choice. It has had zero impact on affordable housing. S/C at <1% of property, should have been obvious! #SaveSC #Scapegoat

@ScotGovPlanning @SP_LocalGov @scotgov worrying to see the amount of withdrawn appeals @DPEAScotland as appellants lose faith in the integrity of the system. @Edinburgh_CC have now contaminated the highest planning authority in Scot with their blanket ban vendetta led by Greens!

1 WEEK TO GO – Tickets Still Available! ⏳ 📸 Not long until we’re all gathered like this again! Our self-catering community is coming together in Dumfries, and you’re invited. Whether you operate locally or anywhere across Scotland, this is your chance to hear the latest updates directly from Fiona Campbell MBE, including: • Non-Domestic Rates • The Visitor Levy • STL Planning and Licensing • Challenges and opportunities shaping the sector in 2026 The day will be packed with exhibitors, panel discussions, competitions, Q&As, and plenty of tea and coffee, just like in the photo from our last gathering – full of operators sharing experiences, networking, and learning from each other. 👉 Free for ASSC Members! 👉 Small fee for non-members Get your tickets: assc.co.uk/event/assc-reg… #ASSCDUMFRIES2026 @FionaCampbell74 @SaveSCScotland

The liquidators of the Edinburgh restaurants said that 'rising operating costs placed considerable strain on margins'. Via @_HeraldBusiness @heraldscotland heraldscotland.com/news/25911829.…