Hundreds of homeowners in Wiltshire could see council tax bills double
Plans will be debated by Councillors next week
Hundreds of homeowners could be hit with double council tax bills, under new proposals being considered by Wiltshire Council.
Since April 2025, councils have been able to charge a council tax premium of up to 100 per cent on second homes.
The bill is paid on top of the standard council tax bill.
There were approximately 1,300 second homes registered in Wiltshire at the beginning of September – including nearly 500 in the top council tax bands F, G and H – and the council estimates that a second home premium could raise around £3.7 million.
The new rules were introduced by the Conservative government too help tackle housing shortages by reducing the incentive to hold properties as occasional-use homes.
Many councils across the country have already introduced a premium to council tax bills, or are intending to introduce premiums – now the Liberal Democrat administration at Wiltshire Council is considering the same.
A second home is a home which is not the owner’s main place of residence, but there are exemptions – for instance, for a person living in long-term residential care.
If the council decides to press ahead with its plans it could start charging a premium from April 2027.
The proposals will be discussed by the council’s cabinet next Tuesday, December 9.