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Cabinet. The Cabinet makes most of the council's decisions.
Council Tax premiums on long-term empty and second homes from April 2025
Cabinet agreed to recommend that Council charge a 150% premium on second homes, and 200% on long-term empty homes empty for up to five years and 300% on those empty for five years or more, from 1 April 2025. A premium is an extra charge on top of the standard Council Tax bill. Cabinet also recommended an indicative 200% premium on both types from April 2026, rising to 300% for long-term empty homes empty for four years or more, and no discount on second homes or long-term empty homes in 2025/26.
Council. Full Council sets the budget and council tax and approves major plans.
Council Tax premiums on empty and second homes
Council approved a 150% premium for second homes from 1 April 2025. It approved a 200% premium for long-term empty homes empty for up to five years, and 300% for those empty for five years or more, from 1 April 2025. It agreed an indicative premium of 200% for both types of home from 1 April 2026, with 300% for long-term empty homes empty for four years or more, subject to review in 2025/26. It kept the policy of not giving discounts on second homes, holiday homes and long-term unoccupied, unfurnished homes for 2025/26. It approved £50,000 from premium income to run the scheme if premiums rise from April 2025.
Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Scrutiny committees question decisions and can recommend changes. They don't make the decision.
Council tax premiums on second and long-term empty homes
The committee recommended that Cabinet ask Council to keep the current council tax premiums for 2026/27 and 2027/28. Premiums are extra charges on top of standard council tax: 150% on second homes, 200% on long-term empty homes and 300% on those empty for five years or more. It also recommended no discount on second homes, holiday homes and long-term unoccupied and unfurnished properties for 2026/27, and a proposal to raise the premiums from April 2026 was lost on a vote.
Cabinet. The Cabinet makes most of the council's decisions.
Council Tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty homes
Cabinet resolved that Council should keep the current Council Tax premiums for 2026/27 and 2027/28: 150% on second homes, 200% on long-term empty homes, and 300% on those empty for five years or more. Cabinet also resolved that Council should not apply a discount on second homes, holiday homes and certain long-term unoccupied properties for 2026/27. Council meets on 23 October 2025 to make the final decision.
Items are linked when their titles share most of their words and they fall within 18 months of each other. Councils don't number reports across meetings, so a few links may be wrong, and a step may be missing if its title changed a lot. Each step links to the meeting, where the council's own papers are.