Quadruple council tax on second homes in Cornwall, MPs demand

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Mr Pollard said he wanted “councils to have more power, and not just double council taxes”, and called on the government to “go faster” by allowing councils to go higher.

It comes after the Conservative-led Cornwall Council wrote to the Government to “increase the council tax premium for second homes” by the same amount in January, requesting the same powers given to local authorities in Wales.

Their letter stated: “It is felt that, in addition to generating additional revenue for the council to spend on priority services for our communities, this would further assist our housing agenda, including maximizing available housing for the local population.”

Last month, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Equalization, Housing and Communities, announced a crackdown on holiday rentals in England, saying tourism was turning coastal towns into “an almost permanent Airbnb environment”. The new rules will require holiday home owners to obtain planning permission before they can rent out their properties, and will take effect later this year after consultation.

But lawmakers representing voters in tourism hotspots in the southwest said the measures should go further.

Simon Jupp, the Conservative MP for East Devon, called for councils to be able to reserve a percentage of new-build housing for people with a local family or economic connection to a given area.

He suggested that buyers or renters could be required, for example, to be born to, work for, or care for someone within 25 miles of the property.