Conwy Council's cabinet has backed a decision to increase the council tax premium for owners of second homes and empty properties in the county to 100% from 2024.
As it stands, the current council tax premium for such properties in the county is 25%. The final decision will be made at a council meeting on December 8, but if the increase gets the go-ahead, the tax will increase to 50% in 2023 and then double once again in 2024.
According to the cabinet, the money generated will be used to tackle the county’s homelessness problem. The move comes after Gwynedd Council announced its plan to increase the premium it charges the owners of 23,000 second homes in the area to 150% in April next year.
Read more: Council at centre of the second home crisis reveals plans for massive hike in council tax bills
The rise has been agreed by the council's cabinet and will be presented to a meeting of the full council in December. Other councils also looking at using the powers include Bridgend, which incorporates the seaside resort of Porthcawl, where the council is looking at a premium of 100% from April, rising to 200% in two years time.
During Conwy Council's cabinet meeting, Councillor Aaron Wynne said second home ownership was "destroying communities and preventing local people from climbing the housing ladder." He added: "The percentage of second homes in some communities in Conwy: Dolwyddelan, Penmachno, Capel Curig - nearly 60% of homes there are second homes. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
He added: "So you can just see the impact it really has in our rural communities. I'm sure it is not a surprise for members what my view is on this issue. I do think the premium on second homes and long-term empty homes should be raised, and as a young person living and working in the county who still can't afford to buy or rent a home in the county, it is a real-life issue that I face.
"We all had a letter from our empty homes team about a month ago, and in there, there was a good quote: 'there is a town the size of Llanrwst of empty homes in the county' - just to put things in perspective."
According to Welsh Government data, as of July this year Conwy had 1,155 chargeable second homes for the period of 2022/3. In Conwy, the average house price in the county is £247,396 according to the latest Wales House Price Index from Principality Building Society. The household income you need to buy in the county would be £54,976.
The leader of Conwy Council, Cllr Charlie McCoubrey said all the income generated would be used to tackle the council’s homelessness crisis. "Raising tax on anything is not something we do lightly," he said.
"Clearly there will be some people impacted more than others, but it is about doing the right thing. It is really important to note that every single penny that is generated from this goes to our homeless team in terms of taking some of that pressure (away). It is designated for that spend, and that's where it goes."
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