Graham Stuart MP makes appeal to holiday parks to stay open for those with nowhere else to go

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, has appealed to holiday parks in his constituency to stay open for those who are unable to return home to their primary residence for the month of November.

Following the announcement of a second lockdown across England, holiday parks have once again been asked to close to holidaymakers in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the face of rising cases across the country.

However, they are permitted by law to stay open for anyone who is unable to return to their main residence for whatever reason, or who needs the accommodation for work or education.

There is no obligation on parks to stay open, though, and many are facing financial difficulties as well as outbreaks of coronavirus among their staff. Because of this, many occupants are facing the prospect of being asked to leave their holiday home without having a safe home to return to.

Graham said, “I’ve heard from dozens of my constituents, and I know there are many more as well, who are being asked to leave because of these new restrictions, but for whatever reason they can’t go back to their homes.

“I know some people’s homes are being refurbished, some live abroad and can’t get back because of travel restrictions, and others are extremely vulnerable people worried about going to live with other family members, who in some cases are frontline NHS workers at greater risk of coronavirus.

“Holiday Parks have had an incredibly difficult time over the last few months because, like many businesses, they’ve seen huge reductions in their income and they’ve also had to cope with members of their staff being off sick and having to self-isolate. I know it’s hard for parks to stay open with so little money coming in, but some of these people have nowhere else to go.

“We will get through this period of crisis together, but it needs people to work closely together and to show some East Yorkshire grit and the fantastic community spirit which has been demonstrated in abundance over the past few months.”

The local MP has written to a number of parks in his constituency to ask that they stay open, while the Housing Minister Kelly Tolhurst has written to trade bodies to make the same request of their members.

Although holiday parks have a statutory duty to ensure that people on their site don’t become homeless, many on the park wouldn’t technically qualify as they will have a registered primary residence elsewhere.