Cornwall town to charge second home owners to use public toilets
While Wales is set to allow councils to quadruple second home taxes, a town in Cornwall has established their own extra charge – forcing second home owners to ‘spend a penny’ when using public toilets.
St. Ives plans to start charging the owners of holiday homes – alongside tourists – to use its eight public lavatories. Meanwhile, full-time residents will be allowed to use the public conveniences for free.
Previously everyone visiting St Ives were allowed to use the public toilets for free, at a yearly cost of £135,000.
The council there have already banned the sale of more second homes and plan to implement UK Government legislation to slap a 100% tax on second homes.
New local residents will be given a free access card to the toilets – but second home owners will not.
“Local residents already pay for all these costs through their council tax and we don’t want them to pay twice,” Louise Dwelly, the town clerk, said.
“Many councils across the country are closing their public toilets because of the huge cost.
“But we understand the importance of public toilets to our visitor economy and this is not an option in a seaside town with beaches.”
Figures published by Hamptons estate agents yesterday showed that 4.4% of all houses in the south west of England were sold as holiday homes. However, this was dwarfed by Wales, where the figure was 7.3%.
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A “permit to poo”?
I’m not against the concept. But an extra card in your wallet / purse to enable you to evacuate for free seems a funny thing to have.
No comment from the “Welsh” conservatives? Cornwall is a Tory stronghold, how can they do this? Imagine if Gwynedd did such a thing
This, of course, should be adopted in the tourist playground areas of Wales, but the local authorities should be prepared to endure a barrage of criticism from the London media along the usual lines of “anti-English” legislation.
Another divisive policy. I am proud to have a 2nd home, its something we should all aspire to do. In the winter I rent out my 2nd home to tourists and it brings in extra income for me.
No.
Not if you’re destroying local communities. There’s a village in Pembrokeshire now with only one permanent resident. Second homes, unregulated, tear the heart of communities and in Wales that is often now meaning Welsh speaking heartland areas. It has to be stopped, and it will be!
It’s a free country. If people want to move, why not?
if you want to move here, then move here and live here.
There is a difference between moving and owning a second home. I don’t think that difference needs to be explained.
Well it sounds like this deserted village in Pembrokeshire would be an easy one to burgle. Not that I would ever support such thing, but burgling a deserted holiday house seems very much like a victimless crime
No you don’t. You just live in some random house in Derby
Taking the p**s.