Councilors said the rise of Airbnb and other rental websites is “tearing at the heart of communities” as they voted to introduce a 100% premium for second home owners in North Yorkshire. In Whitby, around 28% of properties are holiday homes. Real estate agents said up to three-quarters of new projects in the city were being sold as short-term rentals or to investors. The vote in Northallerton on Wednesday means North Yorkshire will become one of the first places in England to double council tax on second homes under the government’s leveling bill, which is making its way through parliament. The earliest the new council tax premium will come into effect is April 2024, if the bill is passed by April next year. Councils in Cornwall and other tourist centers are considering whether to impose the same charge. In Wales, local authorities have been empowered to quadruple council tax bills on holiday homes. A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council was told on Wednesday that the proliferation of properties on websites such as Airbnb is “breaking up communities” and forcing local people out. David Chance, a Conservative councillor, said the lack of available homes meant there were 96 applications for every social housing property in Whitby. In the lower village of Runswick Bay, he said, there were only 11 permanent residents and the rest of the properties were cottages or second homes. “The people of Whitby can’t afford to buy a house in their own town,” he said. “We’ve built a lot of houses in Whitby recently and they’ve all been snapped up by outsiders. “Many have gone to second homes. Many have gone to cottages and cottages, and it is ripping the heart out of communities. Our village communities are suffering a lot.” Janet Jefferson, an independent councilor in North Yorkshire, said she was dealing with “constant calls” from residents being evicted from properties that had “suddenly become holiday homes”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “They’re getting rid of people who’ve been renting for years because they can make more money,” he said. Jefferson said homes in her beachside ward were being converted into holiday homes “every day” without planning permission, adding: “It affects our communities. It’s tearing our communities apart.” Local authorities in Wales have been able to effectively double council tax on second homes since April 2017. Earlier this year, the devolved Welsh Government changed the law to allow councils to charge premiums of 300%, meaning a £1,000 bill would become £4,000. Owners of second homes in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, were told on Wednesday they would have to pay a 150% premium from next April under plans submitted by the local authority. Gwynedd finance councilor Ioan Thomas said the extra money would go towards tackling homelessness, which he said had risen by 47% in the area in the past two years.
