Cornwall second homes council tax rates to double

Mousehole is one of several Cornish seaside communities which has many second homes

Cornwall Council has approved plans for owners of second homes in the county to be charged double council tax.

People who leave their properties empty and unfurnished for over a year will also face a 100% premium on their bill.

The council believes the proposals, voted for unanimously at Tuesday's full council meeting, will raise an estimated £25m per year.

If the legislation is approved by Parliament before 1 April the change could be introduced from April 2024.

An amendment was also passed that stated the council leader should write to the relevant secretary of state to request local authorities are given the power to raise council tax premiums on second homes to 300%.

Currently, the council can only charge a premium on homes that have been empty for two years or more.

'Loopholes'

The move to change the tax for second homeowners follows changes to the billing process, announced in the government's Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill in May 2022.

Cornwall Council said according to the council tax database, there were 13,292 second homes registered in the county.

Second home ownership and holiday lets are blamed for an affordability crisis in Cornwall after falling stocks of rented housing caused rents to rise sharply.

Councillor David Harris, deputy leader of Cornwall Council and portfolio holder for resources, said ahead of the meeting: "The opportunity to impose this premium on second homes is something we must grasp with both hands."

He added the extra funding would support council services.

At Tuesday's meeting, Andrew Mitchell, Cornwall councillor for St Ives, warned "there will be people who will be able to use loopholes to get around this" and the move was "a very small part" of tackling the housing problems Cornwall faces.