Double council tax on second homes to continue

Owners of second homes in North Yorkshire will continue to pay double the amount of council tax after councillors voted to keep the policy.

The 100% premium was introduced in April last year following concerns about a lack of housing for local people.

The scheme has raised about £10m so far, according to North Yorkshire Council, all of which has been ring-fenced for housing projects.

However, others have called for it to be scrapped over concerns people could not afford to pay it and were leaving the area because of the policy.

National Housing Federation figures for 2025 revealed there were more than 8,000 second homes in North Yorkshire – the highest number in the Yorkshire and Humber region, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Many of the second homes in the county are found on the coast and in villages in the Yorkshire Dales.

Councillor Gareth Dadd, deputy council leader said he was "very proud indeed" of the scheme.

​However, speaking at a meeting on Friday, independent Filey councillor Sam Cross said he was regularly in contact with people seeking to leave the area because of the move.

​"I think it's totally wrong and until we have some proper consultations I'll be voting against this," he said.

​North Yorkshire was one of the first areas in the country to adopt the move aiming to encourage owners to bring unused properties into full‑time occupation.

​Green Party councillor Andy Brown said: "I think the best decision this council has taken was to impose a second homes premium.

​"We want first homes, not second homes, and there are tourist locations in this county where the people living in the tourist industry can't afford to live there."

​Despite many councillors welcoming the move, some said the ring-fencing of funds exclusively for housing-related schemes should be re-examined,

​Independent councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff said: "The first amount of money is to be spent where I live in Hunmanby, [but] this council can't avoid the fact that it needs to consider using some of the money on infrastructure.

"It's very laudable to ring-fence 100% of it, but the road on which you are doing it is literally crumbling away.

​"I can't explain to residents how North Yorkshire Council is contributing to the strain on infrastructure, but it doesn't have the money to actually support the infrastructure."

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