SECOND home owners in the Lake District should be charged more council tax in a bid to help locals in need of housing, says local MP Tim Farron.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP said there were currently 3,000 people in on a housing waiting list in South Lakeland – but there were more than 3,500 second homes locally.
He said many second homes lay empty for more than 90 per cent of the year and should be subject to an Empty Homes Premium to give councils powers to charge landlords extra if they did not fill them.
The Government has already announced that councils will no longer have to offer holiday home owners a tax subsidy.
Mr Farron said: “The decision to end the ridiculous subsidy was a massive win but, with over 3,000 families in South Lakeland on the social housing waiting list, we need more.”
A levy on second homes would also generate money to build more homes for locals.
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