Madam,

Tamsin Davies makes some excellent points in her article last week extolling the new second-home tax. However she has failed to take in the whole picture.

The entire UK, not just Wales, has a housing crisis. Houses in Ceredigion are, in fact, relatively cheap, but they are still very difficult to sell. In our village there are several properties which have been on the market for more than five years. Even houses up for rent are often not taken.

The problem is a lack of houses in places where young people want to live, namely where there is employment and adequate transportation. These are not generally locations of choice for second-home owners.If our elected representatives want to keep our young people, they need to encourage entrepreneurship and sponsor industries. With decent salaries and increased tax revenue, new houses can be built near workplaces. At the same time, second-home owners should not be punished and driven away. Rather they should be cherished as preservers and maintainers of the beautiful old stone cottages which are an important part of the county’s heritage, but which are no longer practical for the young.

Yours etc

Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok

Bwlchllan.