An increase in council tax for owners of second homes could lead to more affordable housing initiatives in the Craven area.
Craven District Council has decided to reduce the discount offered to owners of second homes to ten per cent from 50 per cent.
Legislation means councils around the country will be able to reduce the discount offered to owners of second homes to a minimum of ten per cent starting from April 1.
Councillor Peter Wallbank said: "Anyone that can afford to have a second home can afford to pay full council tax."
North Yorkshire County Council has said reducing the discount could increase the county council's revenue by between £1.5m and £2m.
The extra cash could be used to provide affordable housing.
The legislation also means Craven District Council has been able to end the discount of 50 per cent offered to owners of unoccupied or substantially unfurnished property. As of April 1, these will no longer receive any discount and will have to pay the full amount.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article