Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of high proportions of second homes in some communities, whether he has plans to bring forward proposals to discourage investment in second homes.

The Government recognises the adverse effect that large numbers of second homes can have on some areas.

We have already introduced a number of measures to help mitigate those effects, including introducing higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for those purchasing additional properties and removing the requirement for local authorities to offer a council tax discount on second homes and enabling them to charge the full rate of council tax for these properties.

Development plans can, if supported by local evidence, be used to prioritise local residents by managing the number of new holiday homes in local areas, for example, by including policies which require new open-market housing to be occupied as a primary residence.