Bolton had almost two dozen holiday homes in 2021, new figures show, but the borough's mayor believes cultural events will drive this number up

New data shows there were approximately 20 holiday homes in Bolton when the last census was taken in March 2021.

It meant there were 0.2 holiday homes for every 1,000 homes in the area, much lower than the UK average.

In the UK, more than 75,000 addresses were used as holiday homes in 2021, and of these, around 5,305 were based in the North West, equating to 1.6 per 1,000 homes.

Borough mayor Cllr Muhammad Ayub said the many events Bolton has been putting on, including the P!NK concert, Ironman UK and the upcoming food and drink festival, has been attracting visitors. 

Cllr Ayub said: “It used to be London you would see all of the holiday homes but now they’ve also moved into Bolton, which is a good thing because it brings people in from outside.

“It means more people end up visiting Bolton, so we are heading the right way and it is helping the economy here with people spending money here.

“These events help Bolton a lot and I think we should have more of them in the future.”

Cllr Ayub said he wanted to see more sports events like Ironman UK coming to Bolton as he really enjoyed it.

He said: “The weekend was fun, and I had a very good time, so I’d like to see more of this here.

“I was happy to see people of all ages enjoying themselves.”

Bolton hosted the Ironman UK annual event over the weekend where Bolton has had a massive economic growth according to council figures.

The statistics also revealed a growing problem in the North West with the holiday lets reducing supply and driving up house prices, especially in tourist areas.

Generation Rent, a campaign group aimed at protecting renters' rights, said the high concentration of holiday homes is "taking properties out of the reach of people who need somewhere to live".

In the UK, more than 75,000 addresses were used as holiday homes in 2021 and of these, around 5,305 were based in the North West.