Second home tax move would net £27m

CORNWALL Council looks set to agree to charge second home owners double council tax which could bring in an extra £27million to fund local services. Local councils are set to be able to make changes to council tax from April 2024 including charging extra for second homes.

Under the changes the council is also set to introduce a 100 % premium on empty homes left empty for between one and five years. The council can currently do this but only on homes which have been empty for two years or more. It also currently charges a 200% premium on homes left empty for more than five years and 300% for those empty for more than 10 years. The extra charges are designed to encourage homeowners to bring properties back into use and not leave them empty.

Legislation to allow councils to charge second home owners extra council tax is currently going through Parliament. It is expected to become law in 2024.

Cornwall has one of the highest levels of second homes in the country and the extra council tax could generate millions of pounds which could be used to fund council services. There are currently more than 13,000 second homes in Cornwall.

A report on the extra council tax charges is set to go to the council’s customer and support services overview and scrutiny committee when it meets on December 6.

It states: “Initial, high-level analysis, shows that the application of a 100% premium on second homes within Cornwall could generate around £27m in additional council tax revenue, excluding allowance for non-collection.”