Bridgend Council has approved the introduction of a council tax premium on empty residential properties and approved-in-principle a premium on second homes (pdf).
701 residential properties in Bridgend would meet the definition of “long-term empty” as of October 2022.
Only 72 second homes have been identified, three-quarters of which belong to people who don’t live in the county.
In a public consultation (pdf), 51% of those who took part agreed with the empty home premium, with 42% disagreeing.
However, a majority (53%) opposed the second home premium. A majority of people (52%) also thought the premiums would be introduced too quickly.
Under the plans, a council tax premium of 100% (doubling the usual council tax bill) would be applied to empty properties from April 2023. This will increase to 200% after two years.
In a slight change to the original proposal, a final decision on whether to introduce a premium on second homes has been pushed back.
A report will be presented to the council before the end of the 2023-24 financial year. Councillors will then decide whether or not to proceed with the second home council tax premium.
A premium on second homes would be introduced in April 2024 and would increase to a 200% premium after two years.
