Properties that could be “thousands of homes are lost to Airbnbs” in central London, Labour’s candidate for the Cities of London and Westminster has warned.
Rachel Blake, a former Tower Hamlets councillor, wants to ensure enforcement is up to the task of addressing the area’s housing shortages – and even argues councils should be able to limit numbers.
Speaking exclusively to City A.M. about the constituencies housing issues, Blake stressed: “One thing to do with supply that is very specific to the Cities of London and Westminster, is to be tackling the number of Airbnbs and short term that we think – well there’s thousands of homes that are lost to Airbnbs.”
Blake says while the Levelling Up Bill has “tried to deal with” some of the issues that emerge, she said: “I think that it needs to go so much further and then local authorities need to be able to determine how many homes are lost to Airbnbs.”
She added: “You can only go so far with enforcing what we’ve already got. There are cases of people renting their home privately and then subletting into Airbnb.
“There are the powers in place for those landlords to take enforcement action on the tenants because the tenants are breaching their tenancy but they can’t at the moment because of the way that the courts are so clogged up.
“We actually need there to be a requirement in planning, about whether or not a place should be a short-term let. That’s something I’ll be really campaigning for.”
Pressed on whether she would want to see an effective cap on Airbnb’s in central London, Blake said: “I think the local authorities need to make a decision about how many.”
Rachel Blake, campaigning in London. Photo: Supplied
“The way that the planning framework works at the moment is they’re making an assessment of housing need… it is also significant for our economy, how we cater for tourists here.
“I think there needs to be a holistic view about how we’re catering for that.”
An AirBnB spokesperson said: “The supply and affordability of housing in London is primarily driven by a lack of new homes being built.
“The vast majority of London hosts rent one home for less than three nights a month, and two thirds of UK hosts say the additional income helps them afford to stay in their homes and keep pace with rising costs.
“Airbnb enforces the rules on short-term lets in London, which restrict homes to being let for 90 nights a year unless they have planning permission, and we have called for these measures to continue.
“We also support the government’s new national short-term rental rules, which will help local authorities track the positive impacts of home sharing in supporting local families and small businesses.”
The former City of London Corporation officer was selected to stand in the seat for Labour in 2022 – and has been anticipating an election ever since.
“I’ve been thinking that there might be an election in six weeks, for a very, very long time,” she laughs, but insists she doesn’t find it stressful, and actively enjoys campaigning.
After the “year of terrible tragedy” in 2016, which saw MP Jo Cox murdered, Blake felt “something changed [for me] in terms of wanting to do more to make a difference and set out a brighter future”.
Her potential future seat, she describes as an “incredibly diverse place… in terms of population, work, the types of housing and the types of jobs people have” as well as “the heart of the theatre industry, arts, culture, government finance – it’s a brilliant place”.
Blake also recognised her predecessor – Nickie Aiken, who has stood down as Conservative MP for the Two Cities – and her “passionate” work on the Pedicabs Licensing Bill.
But she adds: “We should have used the opportunity for that to devolve powers around licensing e-bikes and scooters, and I think that was a missed opportunity.”
One famous landmark—home to perhaps her most noteworthy future constituents—is Buckingham Palace, home to the British Royal Family. If she were Queen for a day, is there one policy she’d like to enact by royal decree?
Blake laughs and reiterates her “profound belief in healthy democracy” before admitting her answer “would be about housing—I care about it because it’s holding people back, holding them back economically, and it has such an impact on our economy, travel to work, and rents.”
Blake also argues for more licensing powers over e-bikes and scooters. Photo: Supplied
On the City, Blake stresses Labour has been “really clear about being pro-business” and highlights Rachel Reeves’ plans around addressing the gender pay gap and the party’s financial services review, adding: “It’s a cause I really care about.”
Her own role, she says, would both be to represent “a place where thousands of people live” but “you can’t not acknowledge that there is an important role as the MP for the City of London, as well”.
Will Labour – under Starmer, which has already committed to the rise in carried interest tax in the party manifesto – be intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich?
“What Labour wants is for everybody to be able to meet their potential,” Blake replies. “One of the things I would certainly want to do is make sure that working in the financial services sector is a possibility for all young people.”
The full list of candidates standing in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency is: Tim Barnes, Conservative and Unionist Party; Rachel Blake, Labour and Co-operative Party; Liz Burford, Rejoin EU; Huge De Burgh, Social Democratic Party; Mathew Carr, Independent; John Generic, Independent; Tarun Ghulati, Reform UK; Tim Hallett, Independent; Edward Lucas, Liberal Democrats; Hoz Shafiei, Workers Party of Britain; and Rajiv Rahul Sinha, Green Party.