Senior Tory hits out at North Yorkshire's second homes council tax hike
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith has hit out at North Yorkshire Council’s policy of doubling council tax for second homes and some holiday lets.
The council’s Tory leader Coun Carl Les said that all of the money from this - which could hit £14m a year - would go towards funding for housing.
“We are the only council in England saying that we are going to spend 100 per cent of that second-homes premium on housing issues,” he explained.
This will principally go towards providing a flow of affordable houses, particularly in rural areas, as well as on a homeless facility in Scarborough.
However, Mr Griffith at a Conservative Party Conference fringe event, organised by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the Conservative Rural Forum, told The Yorkshire Post this was a “sledgehammer to crack a nut”.
“We live in a very nuanced society, it’s very common for people to have caring responsibilities at both ends of their life, at both ends of the country,” the Shadow Business Secretary said.
“Somebody may have a second home because of a caring responsibility, wishing to live near an elderly relative.
“You’ve got digital nomads, if we want to level up the country, why would we keep digital skills as the province of our big urban cities?
“People could have a second home and spend some of their time contributing to that local economy.
“It’s a one-sized fits all policy, in a nuanced tapestry.
“I haven’t seen any evidence so far that it has helped what people were seeking, the perfectly noble aim of having more affordable accommodation for young people.”