Following the publication of a report on the state of rural housing in Wales, Cymuned, the Welsh housing and community pressure group, were invited this week to speak on a BBC Radio 2 programme on the topic of second homes.

The topic of the programme, 'Having a second home – are you helping or hindering?', looked at attitudes towards second homes and their affect on Welsh rural communities. The programme featured Chief Executive of Cymuned, Aran Jones and The Times journalist and Mayor of London's sister Rachel Johnson.

Jones, Chief Executive of 'Cymuned', said that second home ownership and the decline of local economies was interconnected, but it was necessary to move away from "demonising" second home owners. Jones commented that even though statistics revealed that second home ownership in general was fairly low (in 2001 there were about 13,000 second homes in Wales), in individual areas like Abersoch, second home ownership was as high as 60%, which result in higher prices and "seasonal economies".

Johnson, a second homeowner and journalist who has written articles attempting to justify second home ownership, said that she supported full Council Tax on second homes and that second home ownership was a sideline issue. She said that some local authorities, like that in Cornwall, had a policy of using the extra revenue from Council Tax on second homes to build more affordable housing, the lack of which was the cause of housing pressure in rural areas.

The full interview and phone-in can be listened to by clicking on the link below (interview, an hour into the programme):

(voir le site) dio2_aod.shtml?radio2/r2_vine_wed

The Report, produced by The Joseph Rowntree Trust, highlighted the need for a radical change of government policy on rural housing in Wales. The full report can be found by clicking on the links below:

(voir le site) (in Welsh)

(voir le site) (in English)

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

06/06/08

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