Liverpool City Council has faced backlash after partnering with Airbnb ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Last week the council announced that it had joined forces with the global short-stay lettings company and said it was actively encouraging people living in the city to help accommodate fans of the iconic song contest.
In its announcement, the council said that with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Liverpool, Eurovision presents a "real economic opportunity" for those living in the city and especially those with spare rooms.
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The council said the average nightly cost of a private room on Airbnb in Liverpool over the week of the show is currently £105. Assuming a guest stays for the five-night duration, a Liverpool resident could pocket over £500 just by sharing their spare room during the big event at that rate.
And as part of the bid to encourage local families and communities to get involved, it was also announced that Airbnb is also offering a £50 travel coupon to anyone that hosts their first Airbnb guest in a private room in Liverpool during the dates of the contest.
Announcing the partnership, Amanda Cupples, General Manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb said: “As guests from across the world flock to the City of Music, we want everyone in Liverpool to benefit. By opening their homes, locals can earn some extra cash, showcase the best of authentic local hospitality and help bring communities together to unite them through music. Airbnb has made it easier than ever for anyone to become a Host and as living costs continue to rise, we know that home sharing is a welcome lifeline for thousands across the UK.”
The council's cabinet member for culture, Cllr Harry Doyle added: "Hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine is a real honour for the city and we want as many visitors as possible to enjoy it here in Liverpool. This is a great initiative that will not only give our residents an opportunity to share any spare space and benefit financially but to provide the warm welcome that we are renowned for."
But the announcement and the council's decision to partner with Airbnb has not gone down well with some local people. A tweet earlier this week promoting the scheme was met with a very strong negative response.
One twitter user asked: "Is Liverpool City Council actually asking us to help Air BnB? Absolutely not. No thanks.?" Another said: "Why is my council ‘teaming up’ with Airbnb?"
Big Heritage added: "AirBnB shouldn’t need a city council to advertise its services."
Some pointed out that issues with Airbnb in Liverpool have been raised previously. City councillor Alan Tormey responded to the council's announcement with a reference to a motion he brought to the council several years ago in which he called for much tighter regulations to be placed on short let stays in the city.
Cllr Tormey raised the issues of so-called 'party-lets' and the impact the unregulated sector was having on local people through noise and anti-social behaviour.
Others pointed out that there are much bigger issues related to housing and accomodation in the city.
The Acorn union said: "We think there might be a more pressing ‘accommodation crisis’ in Liverpool than Eurovision fans not being able to find a hotel."
Cabinet member Cllr Sarah Doyle agreed, adding: "The real ‘accommodation crisis’ is the awful experience which thousands of families and vulnerable individuals have when trying to access temporary accommodation. The eye watering numbers of people needing to do this is caused by profit driven landlordism."
Liverpool Council and Airbnb were contacted for comment.
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