Labour wants to bring in a licensing scheme to control the supply of holiday lets in tourist hotspots to prevent the creation of “ghost towns” during the off-season.
The scheme would run UK-wide and be reminiscent of the measures announced by the Labour-led Welsh government, which will enable councils to cap the number of second homes in their area.
The announcement has come from Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, who pledged to help communities reap the rewards of tourism without creating ghost towns.
She said: “With a stronger licensing system, communities will be able to reap the rewards of thriving tourism but end the scourge of communities becoming ghost towns when holidays end and people are priced out of their own neighbourhoods just for homes to stand empty for months.
“By trusting the community, working with the community, we can find the right balance to bring growth and jobs and income, but protect the spirit and the fabric of a community that matters so much.”
Under the plans there would be a community right to buy to enable locals to take control of assets such as live music venues and football clubs that come up for sale or fall into disrepair.
Local groups would be given first refusal on assets of community value, while they could force the sale of land or buildings that are falling into disrepair.
Nandy argued that the UK is in a “high tax, low growth spiral”.
She added: “Those voices in the Tory Party who did try to advance the levelling up agenda have been roundly defeated and now the ugly truth of all of this is on display as leadership contenders vie for the mantle of Margaret Thatcher, promising tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation, and more managed decline for the rest of us,” she said.
“This leadership contest looks set to be the final nail in the coffin for the Conservatives’ short-lived ambitions to level up. Promises that were made with a bang are now fading with a whimper, half-baked ideas that barely made it into the oven.”
“But while the Tories’ commitment to levelling up may be dead, levelling up is not dead, not for the millions of people across our country who voted for change and who need and deserve to see it delivered.”
Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark responded: “These claims are nonsense – we’re pressing full steam ahead with levelling up and the second round of our £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund opened on Friday.
“Our Community Ownership Fund is also helping local people take control of clubs, venues and other prized assets.”
The UK government pledged to probe into the impact of Airbnb and other short-term lets in June.
Earlier this month Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and nationalist party Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price made the joint announcement about curbing the impact of short-term lets as part of their co-operation agreement to run the country.
Welsh property will be split into a primary home, second home and short-term holiday accommodation, while councils will be able to require planning permission for change of use from one class to another.
Councils can also hike the Land Transaction Tax stamp duty equivalent for second homes or short-term lets.
