Wales/Cymru - impact of second homes 'under scrutiny'

Following the publication of a report on the state of rural housing
in Wales, Cymuned, the Welsh housing and community pressure group,
were invited this week to speak on a BBC Radio 2 programme on the
topic of second homes.

The topic of the programme, 'Having a second home – are you helping
or hindering?', looked at attitudes towards second homes and their
affect on Welsh rural communities. The programme featured Chief Executive
of Cymuned, Aran Jones and The Times journalist and Mayor of London's
sister Rachel Johnson.

Jones, Chief Executive of 'Cymuned', said that second home ownership
and the decline of local economies was interconnected, but it was
necessary to move away from "demonising" second home owners. Jones
commented that even though statistics revealed that second home ownership
in general was fairly low (in 2001 there were about 13,000 second
homes in Wales), in individual areas like Abersoch, second home ownership
was as high as 60%, which result in higher prices and "seasonal economies".

Johnson, a second homeowner and journalist who has written articles
attempting to justify second home ownership, said that she supported
full Council Tax on second homes and that second home ownership was
a sideline issue. She said that some local authorities, like that
in Cornwall, had a policy of using the extra revenue from Council
Tax on second homes to build more affordable housing, the lack of
which was the cause of housing pressure in rural areas.

The full interview and phone-in can be listened to by clicking on
the link below (interview, an hour into the programme):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio2_aod.shtml?radio2/r2_vine_wed

The Report, produced by The Joseph Rowntree Trust, highlighted the
need for a radical change of government policy on rural housing in
Wales. The full report can be found by clicking on the links below:

http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/ebooks/2235W-wales-housing-rural.pdf
(in Welsh)

http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2235-wales-housing-rural.pdf
(in English)

J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

06/06/08


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

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