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visiting Claire and Mark, whom I’ve known
for many years , and who have been at
the heart of Blackpool tourism and raising
standards over that time.”
“Their 5 - star boutique guest house
accommodation at Number One South
Beach with whirlpool baths, local and
seasonal produce at the centre of their
breakfast and evening meal offerings,
has garnered a sheaf of national awards
from VisitEngland and TripAdvisor , and
their enthusiasm never falters in giving
people a year round experience in lovely
surroundings.”
“Leaders in the Bed & Breakfast and
visitor economy in Blackpool and
other holiday areas are often at the
centre of encouraging innovation and
regeneration in their communities - Mark
and Claire are no exception. As Chair of
StayBlackpool, Claire is taking a proactive
role in promoting our local Blackpool
Approved Visitor Accommodation scheme,
which is accredited with VisitEngland. We
have a huge range and variety of B&Bs
across Blackpool to suit every pocket - but
what visitors to all of them need to know
is that they’ve passed the ‘Legal , Safe and
Clean ‘ test that the scheme’s assessors
apply.”
The Chairman of the APPG for Tourism
continued: “In the Inquiry that our
Parliamentary Tourism Group published
last summer looking at the huge growth
of the so called Sharing Economy, which
includes Airbnb and other ‘gig’ economy
platforms, we underlined how critical it
was that the battery of checks needed
on hygiene and safety for all properties
visitors stay in should be done, trusted
and enforced, with a level playing field so
as not to disadvantage our successful, and
longstanding visitor accommodation. That
excellence and reliability is what we need
in Blackpool - and I’m grateful to Claire and
others for promoting it”
B&B owner Claire added: “it’s great to have
Gordon back at the Number One for a catch-
up and to promote National B&B Week, and
we appreciate the work he’s put in over the
years, both in Blackpool and nationally, to
champion the role of the hospitality sector,
the skills it develops and the way it supports
towns like Blackpool, and right across the UK”.
The B&B Association welcomed the APPG’s
report on the ‘Sharing Economy’ when it
came out last year, and is still calling on the
Government to use its powers to take action
on areas highlighted in the report, including
especially:
• Requiring peer-to-peer platforms to
fully, properly and explicitly inform their
“hosts” of their legal responsibilities;
• Requiring peer-to-peer platforms to
refuse to list properties that do not fully
comply with the law;
• Requiring peer-to-peer platforms to
identify premises owners to statutory
safety regulators (eg Fire & Rescue
Authorities) on request (without
demanding a Court Order), so the
regulators can perform their duty to
protect the public.
We also stand ready to play a constructive
and positive role in consultation with the
Government about a low-cost statutory
registration scheme for tourism businesses.
Click here to read more about the APPG
Report