Without ‘drastic action’ to address the second homes crisis in areas such as Pembrokeshire, communities will become ‘unrecognizable’ with ‘irreparable damage’ done - a Tenby county councillor has reiterated.

Pressure is growing on ministers to act on Wales’ second homes crisis after dozens of community councils came together last week to write an open letter to the First Minister.

Penned by representatives of community and county councils across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Anglesey and Gwynedd, it urges ministers to implement the findings of a report they commissioned on the impact of second homes on many Welsh speaking communities.

“As you know, our communities are suffering tremendously as a result of the lack of control on the second home market, which has seen house prices skyrocket out of the reach of local people, ” notes the letter coordinated by Nefyn’s ‘Hawl i Fyw Adra’ campaign.

“We urge you to show leadership to solve the crisis by introducing legislation to protect our communities and cultural wealth.

“It would be great to see positive action to show that Wales is an ethical and principled country.”

Among its 32 signatories are an array community and county councillors including Anglesey Council’s housing portfolio holder and Carmarthenshire’s Planning Committee chair.

Following on from the letter, demonstrations were held on the Llyn Peninsula and Anglesey over the Bank Holiday weekend, with campaigners determined not to let the issue lie.

In response, the First Minister confirmed that second homes was an issue he had offered to work on a cross party basis to solve.

“I have seen Plaid Cymru’s five point plan and I’m sure there are ideas we can work on together,” Mr. Drakeford added.

“I agree that we need to use many tools including taxation and planning and others, bringing them together to try and make a difference and hopefully by working together.”

The First Minister went on to say there was “no single bullet solution.”

“We are going to bring forward some proposals, aimed particularly in those communities where young people are unable to stay – where young people aren’t able to find anywhere to live and stay and work in the community in which they grew up in,” he said during a visit to the north this week.

“That will be a mixture of measures. It will be some measures to do with the way we tax property sales, there’ll be measures to do with planning – rights local authorities will be able to use.

“There will be things we can use to do with Land Transaction arrangements.

“None of these by themselves are a single bullet solution but if we bring together a range of measures we can use, then we can make a difference in those local housing markets.”

The ‘Second homes – Developing new policies in Wales’ report, published by Dr Simon Brooks in March, recommended 12 measures including changes to both the taxation and planning systems.

Highlighting that second homes and associated issues are not a pan-Wales phenomenon, rather it suggests that regional or local interventions are required and urges all authorities to follow the lead of Gwynedd and raise the tax premium on such properties to 100 per cent.

Others include trialling a new planning use class for second homes, requiring planning permission before converting a main residence into a second home or short-term holiday accommodation, and adding a rate of up to 4 per cent to the land transaction tax on second homes in specific local government wards, or otherwise devolve power to county councils to vary the tax.

Recommending an exemption on short-term holiday accommodation from being eligible for small business rates relief, Dr Brooks also advises the establishment of a commission to make further recommendations about the future of the Welsh language as a community language.

He concluded: “The likelihood is that structural problems, such as young Welsh speakers leaving rural communities due to a lack of economic opportunities, will deepen.”

Pembrokeshire has the second highest number of second homes in Wales, at nine per cent of the county’s housing stock, and it was highlighted this week in the national news how Cwm-yr-Eglwys, a beautiful village on the Pembrokeshire coast has become overrun with second homes owned by millionaires, leaving only a handful of year-round residents.

County councillor Michael Williams, who represents the Tenby North ward, said that it was good to see that people were waking up to the impact the second homes crisis is having on local communities, an issue he notes has been taking place over thirty years.

“No longer is it enough for politicians to wring their hands and voice platitudes, the situation now needs urgent action to stop and reverse the numbers of second homes in our community,” remarked Clr. Williams.

“It is not only a Welsh language issue although the damage being done to Welsh language communities is catastrophic, even outside these areas irreparable damage is being done too often to what is a unique culture and way of life.

“Our social, cultural and economic life is being eroded by this influx of individuals who know nothing of our history, who move here because they say they love the area and within very few years campaign to change our basic values.

“An example of this might be the Tenby dog ban recently suggested to the town council by a person who doesn’t even reside in the County and appears to have no roots here!

“We are gullible enough to allow them to inveigle themselves in to positions, without offering themselves for public election, where they can inflict their often alien values upon the local communities.

Clr. Williams said that for many years the ‘destruction of our communities’ has been witnessed, leading to the almost total eradication of young families from certain areas of Tenby.

“What chance do our young people have when we see three bedroom terraced properties being offered for between £400K and £600K,” he continued.

“The lack of affordable housing is chronic in the area, why should local youngsters have to move away from their roots? When Brynhir is developed it will resemble what was prevalent in North America when white settlers arrived, and will be similar to a reservation, with the core of our town - an empty husk and young locals driven to the periphery.

“I applaud the report by Dr Simon Brooks, but it doesn’t go anywhere near far enough, and will not reverse the current situation. I asked the Local Authority to investigate the possibility of the compulsory purchase of second homes of the type that would suit first time buyers, and the current law will I hope be changed to facilitate this.

“There are many small properties within the conservation area which until fairly recently were occupied by local families, they should be purchased following a valuation by the District Valuers office and offered to young local families, with a mortgage offered by the Local Authority at preferential rates.

“Without what might be perceived as quite drastic action, our community will be changed and become unrecognizable, even if it continues to exist.

“I did succeed in introducing the Second Homes premium to Pembrokeshire at a rate of 50 per cent. The authority is now about to commence a public consultation on increasing this premium by a further 50 per cent.

“During the last consultation the vast majority of responses came from second home owners. This time local residents must respond and tell the Council the full facts of the current situation as it affects local families.

“I welcome the campaign ‘Wales is not for sale’ - the situation in Tenby is that it has been sold, and it must be reclaimed.

“In the infamous Act of Union of 1536 there is included a word rarely heard these days, ‘Extirpation’. This was meant to ensure the total destruction of the Welsh language. Perhaps it could be applied to second homes?” added Clr. Williams.