Editor

Hats off to John Rees Moss from Bala, his letter you published last week is excellent and covers the inadequacies of the council in this latest proposal to further increase the council tax on second homeowners.

As Mr Moss points out, there will be more owners transferring to business rates, creating a further dwindle in council tax income for Gwynedd.

All second-home owners are more than happy to pay the normal rate and if the decision is reversed then Cyngor Gwynedd will benefit enormously.

They say the additional income raised will be ring-fenced for affordable housing - this I endorse wholeheartedly - but what progress has the council made to create more housing here on Pen Ll?n, where I was born and still live?

There are parcels of land adjoining existing affordable housing stock, but nothing has been done to further develop this land.

Builders won’t buy the land then build as build costs are too high in relation to what they can sell the properties for, therefore the council needs to acquire the land to put the infrastructure in place before anyone is prepared to construct the dwellings.

Will this ever happen?

Does the council not realise the income second-home owners presently bring into the local economy?

You ask any local tradespeople on Pen Ll?n, would their businesses survive without the work they get from the second-home owners?

I doubt this proposal of a further hike will stall the second-home market, just as Mr Moss says, they will find ways in avoiding the higher payments, the root causes as he says are low wages, a lack of employment and no new houses for the local population.

Martin Lewthwaite

Have your say on the local issues affecting you - email [email protected] or join in the conversation on our Facebook page