SOME second home owners in Wales may have to pay four times their current level of council tax from next year, under new plans outlined by the Welsh government.

Currently councils can charge a second home premium of up to 100 per cent but that will increase to 300 per cent from April 2023.

The move, included in a Labour-Plaid Cymru cooperation agreement, is said to be aimed at making it easier for people to afford homes in places where they grew up.

Recent months have seen a big surge in second home ownership in Pembrokeshire seaside resorts such as Tenby and Saundersfoot.

Last year it emerged that only one Welsh speaker remained in the north Pembrokeshire hamlet of Cwm yr Eglwys while further down the coast Aber Castle only has two houses that are lived in year round.

Recent figures revealed that there are currently 4,072 second homes being charged a council tax premium in 2021-22, with around 200 year a moving to business rates a year; the majority are within the national park.

Research presented to county councillors last year suggested that the number of homes 'with no usual resident' had burgeoned in coastal areas, with the number of holiday lets doubling.

Communities with high numbers of second homes (and holiday homes) have higher house prices.

Announcing the plans to increase coucil tax, Climate Change Minister Julie James claimed it was ‘the morally right thing to do’ to protect communities who were attracting increasing numbers of second home owners.

 Pembrokeshire – which along with Gwynedd has the highest percentage of second homes that are subject to a premium – will begin charging a 100 per cent council tax premium on second homes next month.

Ministers will also raise the maximum premium for empty homes to 300 per cent.

According to the Welsh government council tax premiums are being paid on more than 23,000 properties in Wales this year.

Some homes are exempt from the premium - such as those needed for employees.

Reacting to this morning’s announcement, Jonathan Martin, a spokesman for the Home Owners of Wales Group, told BBC Radio Wales: “It's astounding and morally indefensible.

"Where do they think we're going to get this 300 per cent from?

“I can't afford it, that's for sure and I'm quite sure a lot of other people can't either."