This letter appeared in the latest edition of the West Somerset Free Press. Have your say in the comments below, or email [email protected]

Editor,

Following the article in last week’s Free Press, in which the latest census stated, that 6.5% of local housing was not occupied on census day, I would like to suggest a simple solution to aid our housing crisis. Everyone should be entitled to a home, whether rented or owned, but to have more than one is a privilege and it should come at a price. 

The price should be an intelligent use of council tax. I find it incredible that a bunch of estate agents driving round the country looking out of the windows of their cars, should form the basis of a tax that has not been reviewed for over 30 years. Those who got the ‘Friday afternoon’ valuations have paid the price every year since.

An intelligent council tax would cover the whole variation in property values, from the smallest to the largest hereditament, in other words it should go from A to Z, and maybe beyond. The other major reform to council tax should involve the taxing of empty property. 

Many second homes are only occupied for a few weeks a year and yet they only pay the same council tax as the rest of us, while increasing the demand for property, and therefore leading to increasing prices. While they are empty there is no contribution to the local economy , the local shops, pubs, filling station etc. The solution is to charge a much higher rate of council tax on these properties while they are empty, which would put money back into the local economy. 

I do not know how Airbnb works, see our MP’s article in the Free Press on 31st March, but if these properties are occupied for most of the year they are probably not a major contributor to the housing crisis, but may affect other businesses. 

But any regulations that increase the number of properties that are available as homes will help to solve the problem of lack of housing as well as putting downward pressure on house prices.

Name and address supplied