Whitby councillor welcomes introduction of second home tax premium to ‘stop the town being turned into a theme park’

The 100 per cent premium for second home owners is set to be introduced in the next two years with plans for the raised funds to be directed towards creating more affordable housing in affected areas.

Towns on the Yorkshire coast, including Whitby, Scarborough, and Filey, are particularly affected by the lack of affordable housing, with estimates that the Scarborough district could bring in almost half of the estimated annual tax revenue of £14m.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Phil Trumper, a councillor representing Whitby West on North Yorkshire County Council and the Esk Valley ward on Scarborough Council, said that home ownership is “one of the most important issues in my division in Whitby”.

He said: “Residential properties are really important in areas such as Whitby where people are desperate to get on the property ladder.

“Young people especially, and those with families, are finding it more difficult to get on the property ladder because people from outside of the area are investing in holiday lets, which is then reducing the number of properties that are available on the market and driving the prices up.

“So, this plan has the potential of reducing that and making those properties available to families and local people.”

According to the National Housing Federation, there are 8,199 second homes in North Yorkshire – the highest number in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Earlier this year, Whitby residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of restricting the ownership of newly built housing to local residents.

Whitby Town Council is also in the process of drafting a neighbourhood plan which would give locals a greater say on the use of housing in the area.

Although Cllr Trumper said that “none of these schemes is perfect”, adding that he wished “there was a perfect answer to this difficult situation”, he said he did believe the tax premiums would “provide a solution to the problem”.

“It’s got to be part of a bigger scheme with different ideas. It could have a positive effect”, he added.

The premium is being considered under an overarching policy for council tax premiums and discounts which is being introduced when a new local authority spanning the whole of North Yorkshire is launched next April.

Cllr Trumper, who is part of the Conservative Party, said the tax would “provide more income to build affordable housing for local people”.

“At the end of the day, we want people to be able to live somewhere and buy their own property.

"We want our communities to thrive in North Yorkshire, especially places like Whitby.

"The idea behind it is to invest that income into housing.”

Cllr Trumper added that while “tourism is a big industry in the area of Whitby, Filey, Scarborough and it does have a positive effect” it can also create problems.

He added: “I think we are at that tipping point where it has gone too far.

"And schemes such as this will hopefully stop the town being turned into a theme park rather than keeping it as a proper community.”