Editor

I listen with incredulity to the weekly diatribe of Plaid Cymru politicians and councillors in Gwynedd, complaining about people who they classify as “wealthy second-home owners”. This rhetoric against English property owners must stop before the tourist industry in North Wales is destroyed.

They say “up to 7,000 homes in Gwynedd were owned by people who do not usually reside in Wales”. Most of these 7,000 homes are self-catering businesses not second homes. The chairman of Barmouth Publicity Association and the Tywyn Chamber of Tourism recently stated that 75 per cent of these properties were actually owned by Gwynedd residents and councillors comments were “frankly a disgrace”. Are these councillors also saying that it is acceptable to own a property in Gwynedd if a person lives in Cardiff but not if they reside in Liverpool?

Re: “second homes owners exploiting a tax loophole” - a large number of furnished holiday let property owners happily paid council tax prior to Gwynedd Council introducing the 50 per cent premium on second homes. Subsequently these property owners sort advice, including the UK Government tax website. It is disingenuous to suggest owners are exploiting a loophole when in fact they are complying with UK tax regulations.

Re: “People priced out of the housing market by second-home owners are having to live with parents or “sofa-surf”, a council Cabinet meeting has been told” a year ago I checked Rightmove for properties for sale in North Wales at under £100,000. There were well over 1,000 of them! Where is the shortage? I have some sympathy with people being priced out of the market in Abersoch or Aberdyfi but like Mayfair in London or Harrogate in Yorkshire it is the price we pay for the massive inward investment these owners bring to the local economy. The reality in the rural areas of the county is that second-home owners purchase and renovate semi-derelict housing. They use local builders and rent them out to tourists who spend their money with local businesses. The answer to making housing affordable is to boost the earning power of the local workforce.

The local electorate should vote out these officials who seem intent on “biting off the hand that feeds them”.

John Rees Moss Bala

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