Portsmouth and Gosport residents with a second home increased, census figures reveal

As part of the 2021 census, the Office for National Statistics has revealed which areas in the UK have the most holiday home owners.

The ONS says there has been a 4.7% increase across England and Wales in the number of people staying at a second, holiday home address for more than 30 days a year, rising from 426,000 to 447,000.

The figures – from the 2021 census – show there were 867 people from Portsmouth staying at holiday homes – up from 822 in 2011. This means 0.4 per cent of the area's 205,056 residents regularly stayed at a holiday home as of 2021.

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Comparable figures for Gosport show there were 404 people, or 0.5 per cent of the borough’s residents, staying at holiday homes – up from 344 in 2011.

In Fareham it had dropped to 704 people, or 0.6 per cent of residents, down from 778 in 2011. And in Havant it also dropped, to 611 people or 0.5 per cent, down from 680 in 2011.

As staycations become more popular, so too has the number of people with holiday hideaways in other parts of the UK – 189,000 did so as of 2021, up from 155,000 a decade prior.

The rising number of second homes in holiday hotspots has seen some local authorities take measures to curb the squeeze on the housing supply for residents, such as reforming council tax.

Earlier this month the Government announced new rules for short-term lets.

Unveiling the plans, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove said: ‘Tourism brings many benefits to our economy but in too many communities we have seen local people pushed out of cherished towns, cities and villages by huge numbers of short-term lets. I’m determined that we ensure that more people have access to local homes at affordable prices, and that we prioritise families desperate to rent or buy a home of their own close to where they work.’

The ONS said the peak age of people staying in holiday homes has also increased, from 64 years old in 2011 to 73 years old in 2021, which it said likely reflects the growing size of this generation.