East Yorkshire: Second home owners could see council tax double

The council has backed a council tax premium on second homes of 100% in places such as Bridlington

Second home owners in East Yorkshire would have to pay double the rate of council tax on properties under new rules backed by the local authority.

East Riding Council's cabinet backed a council tax premium on second homes of 100%.

It also backed changes for extra charges on homes empty for more than one year, rather than the current two.

The council said plans were aimed at getting people to put second or empty homes on the market.

The proposals come as part of a report on the East Riding council tax base for the coming 2024/5 financial year.

The report by the authority states the number of Band D properties eligible to be taxed in the coming financial year was around 123,619, up 1.7% from the previous year.

There are currently 371 properties eligible for the new charges for homes empty and unfurnished for a year or more.

Councils were previously able to charge a 100% premium after they had been empty for two years, rising to 300 per cent by the 10-year mark.

Introducing the premium after one year, rather than two, would net the council an extra £500,000 a year.

If approved, the new charges would come into effect from April 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Empty but furnished properties, otherwise known as second homes, would be subject to a 100% premium council tax charge from the date they become unoccupied.

The council's calculations estimate the charges, if given the go-ahead, would bring in around £2.7m a year from 1,871 eligible properties.

Julian Neilson, the council's finance lead, said: "It's designed to affect behaviour and incentivise the owners of properties to find tenants or dispose of them to increase the supply of housing."