North Devon council tax to go up 3%

Second home owners will also pay an earlier premium

Second homeowners in North Devon may need to pay double council tax after one year of their property being empty, while council tax in general for the district is to increase by three per cent.

People with second homes in the area previously had to pay the premium after that home was unoccupied for two years, but the halving of that timeframe was proposed at a strategy and resources committee meeting on Monday [6 February]. If approved, the change will come into effect from April next year.

Council officers said the increase would bring an income of £4.2 million, 10 per cent of which would it could keep, with the rest going to other the county council, police and fire services.

Cllr John Patrinos (Independent, Lynton and Lynmouth) said that it was “about time” second homeowners started paying sooner, with Cllr Netti Pearson (Green, Ilfracombe West) adding that the move is “well overdue.”

Council tax as a whole is also slated to rise, North Devon proposing an increase of just under three per cent. Cllr Glyn Lane (Independent, Landkey) is not a fan. “At the end of the day, people are all seeing an increase in the cost of living,” he said. “Personally, I’m against raising the council tax.”

North Devon’s government grants have been cut in the last 10 years, so Liberal Democrats leader Cllr David Worden (South Molton) sees no choice but to increase council tax.

“I think we would all love to be able to say we don’t need to put up the council tax,” he explained. “I think, if the government actually distributed the local government in a fair way that was agreed in 2012, we wouldn’t actually need to be putting up the council tax.

“We’re going to be in a dreadful situation in a couple of years’ time if we don’t put it up by the amount that’s being recommended.”

Cllr Patrinos added: “When we’ve got inflation of 10 per cent, and we’re only putting up council tax by three per cent, it means we’re reducing council tax by seven per cent. We’re not increasing it.”