A PROTEST against second homes has taken place in Abersoch.

The protest, to oppose the number of second homes in the area, had “one unsavoury incident” according to event organiser Dafydd Griffiths.

Dafydd told the Cambrian News that conversations were held with tourists visiting the area.

He said: “The tourists who stopped to chat, who were staying in a nearby caravan park,were of the same opinion as us in that the locals should be living in the houses.

“They also enquired what the local authority and the Senedd were doing to address the situation.”

“There was only one unsavoury incident when a passing cyclist, who I think lives locally as I’ve seen him around on a few occasions, swore at us and threw our placards into the path of oncoming traffic, which could have resulted in an accident.”

Around a month before the protest, a new consultation on second home and self-catering accommodation was launched by the Welsh Government.

This consultation on council tax and non-domestic rates is part of a summer of action launched by climate change minister Julie James to address the impact of second home ownership seen in some of Wales’ communities.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “While second home owners and people who stay in holiday lets can make an important contribution to our local economies, we want to ensure all homeowners and businesses make a fair contribution to the communities in which they own or let property.”

The consultation will seek views on the maximum level at which local authorities can set council tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties and the criteria for a property to be defined as non-domestic, self-catering accommodation.

The consultation also seeks views on the circumstances in which properties are classed as self-catering businesses and are listed for non-domestic rates.

Climate change minister Julie James said: “We cherish our reputation in Wales as a welcoming, bilingual society in which tourism and current second home owners have a contribution to make.

“However we also recognise the impact that higher numbers of second homes and self-catered holiday lets can have on local housing and rental markets and on the sustainability of local communities.

“In some areas they may compromise the sustainability of Welsh as a community language.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for housing, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: “Rising house prices, increasing demand for second homes, and fewer properties available for rental; the housing crisis in Wales is getting worse.

“While the chance for communities to be heard via this consultation is, of course, welcome, my concern is that it masks the fact more immediate action could be taken now.

“In launching a consultation, the government has at last acknowledged there is a housing crisis but in failing to act where they can, they are allowing this crisis to get worse.

“Our communities should use this opportunity to have their voices heard, but the truth is that the Labour Government owes it to them to address the crisis with the seriousness and urgency it deserves, before it’s too late.”