Second homes tax debate triggered by petition

A tax on second homes in North Yorkshire will be debated by councillors after a petition against the policy reached 1,000 signatures.

North Yorkshire Council introduced the premium, which effectively doubled council tax on second homes, last year.

Campaign group Second Homeowners Opposed to Unfair Taxation (Shout) has called for the policy to be suspended, arguing that the impact on coastal communities and local businesses had been overlooked, but council officers have indicated there was insufficient evidence to justify suspending the tax.

The petition is due to go before the authority's Thirsk and Malton area committee on Friday.

Councils across England were recently given permission by the government to introduce the second homes levy as a means of generating more cash to be reinvested in communities and local housing schemes.

Colin Unwin, from Shout, said: "The assumption appears to be that reducing the number of second homes will automatically increase housing availability for local people.

"In reality, housing supply and housing demand are much more complex.

"Simply forcing more properties onto the market does not guarantee they will meet the needs of local buyers.

"There is little benefit in increasing supply if the properties available are not those that people want or are able to afford."

Shout said it "acknowledged" there was a "genuine housing crisis" and that it supported measures to address it.

But Unwin added that "many second homes in coastal areas are not the type of properties typically sought by first-time buyers or local families".

According to a consultation which North Yorkshire Council carried out before it introduced the policy, 79% of people supported the second homes tax, with 14% opposed.

The premium had also generated money for housing projects, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council has allocated £20m of the income to a housing fund, including £4m for rural housing, £4m for community-led housing and £12m for supported housing and associated services.

When councillors debate the petition on Friday, they will have several options.

They could take no further action, request further information, refer their observations to the council's executive, or they could support the petition and recommend the council gives further consideration to the premium.

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