Issue - meetings

It was resolved to recommend to the Full Council in March that Gwynedd Council:

·         Allowed no discount on class A second homes, in accordance with Section 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992

·         Allowed no discount and raised a premium of 100% on class B second homes, in accordance with Section 12B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992

·         Allowed no discount on homes that have been empty for 6 months or more and raised a premium of 100% on homes that have been empty for 12 months or more, in accordance with Section 12A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas  

DECISION

It was resolved to recommend to the Full Council in March that Gwynedd Council:

·         Allows no discount on class A second homes, in accordance with Section 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992

·         Allows no discount and raises a premium of 100% on class B second homes, in accordance with Section 12B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992

·         Allows no discount on homes that have been empty for 6 months or more and raises a premium of 100% on homes that have been empty for 12 months or more, in accordance with Section 12A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted noting that the Full Council in December had resolved to defer a decision on the Council Tax Premium on second homes and long-term empty properties. It was noted that the Council had requested the Cabinet to hold a consultation on the propriety of increasing the level up to 100% in accordance with Section 12, 12B and 12A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

According to the 1992 Act, it was noted that any decision on the Premium must be made by the Full Council before the commencement of the relevant financial year and, therefore, it was not possible to delay the decision. The context was highlighted noting the regulations of the Council Tax where 'second homes' had been categorised into two classes (A & B) and that class C referred to empty properties. The numbers within Gwynedd were reported - 811 within class A, 4,718 within Class B, and 1,130 in class C in November 2020.

When giving councils powers to raise a Premium of up to 100%, it was noted that the Government had published statutory guidance to administrate the Premium. It was added that the guidance outlined what needed to be considered by the Council when proposing to introduce the Premium.  It was noted that when the Premium was introduced back in 2016, attention had been given to two studies, a detailed analysis undertaken in 2013 along with the 2013-16 Housing Strategy. It was noted that the Council had now adopted a new Housing Strategy and two key reports, namely Holiday Homes Research Work and the Housing Action Plan.

The consultation responses were outlined, noting that the consultation had been advertised on social media and letters had been sent to every second home and long-term empty property owner informing them of the consultation. 6,227 responses had been received to the questionnaire and approximately 100 separate letters and messages. From the responses, 41% stated that they did not own a second home, 53% noted that they owned a second home.

It was noted that almost 4 in 5 respondents who owned a second home thought
that second homes had a positive impact on local communities, while 3 in 5 respondents who did not own a second home thought that they had a negative impact on local communities. A clear difference of opinion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12