MP TIM Farron made the case for controls on second homes during a meeting in Parliament.

The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP met with the Campaign for National Parks to raise "the issue of excessive second-home ownership".

The national charity is dedicated to protecting and improving England and Wales' national parks.

Mr Farron made the case that local authorities should be able to "significantly increase council tax on second homes" to raise funds.

That money would then be "ring-fenced to fund key local services and deliver affordable homes for lower income families".

Around 7.5 per cent of properties in South Lakeland are second homes, said Mr Farron.

He told the Gazette it was great to meet the charity's policy and research manager, Ruth Bradshaw, and discuss the challenges faced by the Lake District.

"When you’ve got so many homes not lived in, it means you’ve not got people sending their kids to the local school, using the post office or the bus services," said the MP.

"Then you end up with the risk of losing those services because they’re no longer viable.

"The high level of second-home ownership also inflates the prices of housing locally and further restricts the opportunity for young people who grew up here to be able to get a foot on the housing ladder.

“I’m glad that the Campaign for National Parks has been raising awareness of this issue and supports our idea of raising council tax on second homes so that local families aren’t forced to move away."