ST AUSTELL and Newquay’s new MP has called for more Cornish homes for Cornish people during his first parliamentary question.

Labour’s Noah Law urged the government to tackle the “scourge” of second homes.

He spoke out in a debate on the new Labour government’s ambitious plan to build 1.5-million homes and reform the National Planning Policy Framework. According to a recent Cornwall Council report there are over 13,000 houses in Cornwall which are classed as second homes.

Mr Law has welcomed the Labour government’s housebuilding plans and said it was “at the heart of our mission to raise living standards and also to ensure what we build will reflects local views.”

He pressed the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, MP Angela Rayner, on plans to give councils greater powers to reduce second homes to increase housing supply.

Mr Law said: “The scourge of second homes particularly in Cornwall puts a drag not just on our community, but our economy as well.”

The deputy Prime Minister welcomed his question saying these were “the first steps – we know there’s so much more that we need to do.

Adding: “We’ve got a significant amount of legislation coming forward this NPPF is about making sure we get the housing targets. We need to address many more issues that we face in housing.”

Mr Law, who was elected on July 4, campaigned on a platform to transform the fortunes of mid Cornwall and deliver great, green jobs, homes for people not profit, and world class public services.

He welcomed Cornwall Council’s decision to charge an additional 100 per cent council tax premium on second homes from April 1, 2025.

Mr Law said: “While this is a good first step, politicians across Cornwall need to work together to get these homes back on the market for Cornish people.”

He advocates allowing a tripling of council tax on the homes which sit unoccupied for most of the year.