LABOUR APPROACH TO TACKLE SECOND HOMES “WEAK” AND KICKS PROBLEM INTO LONG GRASS SAYS PLAID

Plaid Cymru demands “direct interventions” to mitigate housing crisis 

Responding to the Welsh Government’s plan to tackle second homes announced today (Tuesday 6 July 2021), Plaid Cymru Housing Spokesperson Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said,

“This so-called “ambitious approach” to tackle the second homes housing crisis is an exercise in kicking the problem into the long grass without taking the necessary urgent action to deal with the crisis facing our communities.

“These weak measures will not be nearly enough to truly get to grips with a housing emergency that is fast engulfing our communities at an alarming rate. There is nothing here about closing the council tax loophole. There is nothing here about imposing caps on second homes. And there is nothing here about bringing numbers of holiday homes into community ownership through public intervention – diverting profits to local developments such as the provision of social housing. In fact, there is no detail just vague plans for more consultation. 

“What our communities need is urgent action before it’s too late – not painfully long-drawn out consultations or half-hearted trials.

“Plaid Cymru demands direct interventions to mitigate the housing crisis, such as changes to planning laws to allow councils to impose a cap on the number of second homes, trebling the Land Transaction tax on purchases of Second Homes and close the loophole that allows second homeowners to register their property as “businesses” in order to avoid paying the council tax premium, by amending the Local Government Act to empower local authorities to better control the housing stock.

“The housing crisis facing Wales is not confined to a few isolated far away communities. It has a knock-on effect in every community the length and breadth of our nation. The Labour Government owes it to the people in these communities to address the crisis with the seriousness and urgency it deserves – ensuring they can live and work in the area they call home.”