Part of 3. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 4:01 pm on 23 September 2020.
I strongly urge the Minister to have discussions with Gwynedd Council, because local government can do a lot. In Gwynedd, 7,000 homes are owned by people who don't even live in Wales. Ten per cent of homes in Gwynedd are used as second homes—more than any other county in Wales. Almost 40 per cent of properties sold in Gwynedd from March 2019 to April 2020 were purchased as second homes—again, more than any other county in Wales. Houses are marketed in England for £400,000, £2 million—one £3 million, just down the road from Mynytho, the village where my wife was born and raised. Local people simply cannot afford to buy houses where they live now, with the average wage in Gwynedd being £16,000 a year. The local council in Gwynedd passed a local development plan that enables, unbelievably, family housing to be converted into holiday accommodation. So, the second home issue is an epidemic that has gone on for decades in Welsh language communities, decimating the language. So, my question, really, is: when are you going to start to do something about people avoiding tax on the second properties, when are you going to overhaul the planning system, and especially local development plans, and when is the Government going to end this scandal?