The new Labour government is pressing ahead with plans to clampdown on short-term lets across England.

The government wants to restrict short-term let supply by granting local authorities greater powers to introduce planning consent for landlords where deemed necessary. A new mandatory national register for short-term lets has also been proposed.

In Wales, councils already have a similar register – known as an “Article 4 Direction” – but the policy extends to second home ownership as well as holiday lets. Northern Ireland has long had a registration scheme in place.

The short-term let rules were initially promised by former Conservative housing secretary Michael Gove in December 2022, as part of a package of measures designed to reassure Tory backbenchers in uproar over his planning changes.

Andy Fenner, the chief executive of the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), warned that a locally run scheme could be a “mess”. He added: “We are very concerned that the registration scheme is not going to be national. We’re concerned that it is going to be introduced either by county, region or council. We are worried that it is one step away from some poorly done licensing scheme, which is not what we want.”