In 2017, Alistair Handyside became chair of the newly-formed Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC), which was created to lobby the government for a “fairer” regime for business rates, a level playing field for tax and regulation and to support the Cut Tourism VAT campaign; in 2019, PASC secured agreement from the Valuation Office to reduce business rates across the sector by a third. PASC now has the largest financial membership of any association in this sector in England and Wales. It has worked with the ASSC and Premier Cottages to develop the opening and cleaning protocols for the sector. PASC is also pushing for the reinstatement of Inheritance Tax Relief for genuine self-catering businesses and advocating to ensure that all paid-for accommodation is safe and legal for consumers. Prior to this role, Handyside worked in IT for 25 years and was a passionate lobbyist for the South West of England as chair of the SW Tourism Alliance, helping to preserve private sector services to improve and maintain tourism.
