Opposition to a planned second-home tax hike has failed to deter decision-makers, who plan to forge ahead with the proposals in light of a “housing crisis”.

The recommendation to increase the council tax premium from 50 per cent to 100 per cent comes despite a public consultation showing opposition to the plans, with 55.1 per cent believing second homes brought “positive benefits” to many communities.

But with most respondents being second-home owners themselves (58.6 per cent), Cabinet members concluded that the consultation was “not a referendum” and pressed on with increasing the premium to the maximum currently allowed by the Welsh Government.

With Gwynedd having more holiday homes than any other area of Wales, council figures show that 60 per cent of locals are currently priced out of the housing market – with 6,849 or 10.77 per cent of the county’s housing stock now being designated as second homes.

But despite concerns that the owners of many second homes are using a “loophole” to transfer from domestic to non-domestic rates by registering their properties as self-catering holiday units, members were adamant that doubling the premium was the way forward.

Responding to suggestions that the plans represented an “attack on tourism”, Cllr Gareth Thomas rubbished the general spend and economic benefits of holiday homes compared to the same property being occupied all year round.

Cllr Catrin Wager, meanwhile, expressed her “disappointment” that more had not been done on a Welsh Government level to close existing “loopholes” in the system.

Cabinet members unanimously backed a recommendation to increase second and empty home premiums to 100 per cent from April 2021, and a final decision will be made at the next full council meeting on 4 March.