Plymouth Labour wants double tax on second homes

Budget to be discussed today

Labour councillors in Plymouth are urging the Tory administration to back plans to double council tax on second homes.

If agreed, it would help to fund the building of new homes in the city. 

The 100 per cent second homes’ council tax premium is already supported by  neighbouring Tory councils in the South Hams and West Devon.   

Plymouth Labour will take the proposal to councillors today [27 January].  The plan would not come into force until 2024 because it would form part of the government’s Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill which will not be approved before 1 April. 

Honicknowle councillor and Labour’s finance spokesperson Mark Lowry said: “We know most people can’t afford to buy a house in Plymouth and now they can’t even afford to rent somewhere so something has to change.

“The discretionary payment will support those who will see their council tax go up as well as all the other cost of living implications they are having to deal with.

“Our proposal – taxing those who have more than one home – will accelerate house building in the city, which we sorely need. Builders only started building 162 new properties last year, that is nowhere near enough when we have 11,000 households on the waiting list.

“We have a Conservative-created housing crisis in the city, only Labour has a plan to fix it.”  

The council tax second homes premium is one part part of an amendment to the Conservative budget being debated on Monday.  Other proposals include implementing the maximum council tax charge on empty properties for the financial year 23/24, allocating £500,000 from right-to-buy receipts to speed up the building of new homes on city council-owned land and urging the leader to lobby central government for an increase in Plymouth’s housing allowance.