Welsh Tories raise spectre of Meibion Glyndŵr in criticism of ‘hostile’ second-homes campaigners
Welsh Tories have raised the spectre of Mebion Glyndŵr in a letter to a police chief over what they see as “hostile tactics” by those opposing second homes in north Wales.
Shadow Minister Janet Finch-Saunders MS has written to North Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioner after stickers were placed on holiday homes on Anglesey saying ‘Nid yw Cymru ar Werth’ [Wales is not for sale].
Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith – which placed stickers on houses in Rhosneigr – said it was calling on the island’s council to play its part in protecting the island’s communities by increasing the level of the council tax premium on second houses.
Commenting on her letter, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, who speaks on housing, said: “I am worried about campaigners are adopting hostile tactics to show their opposition towards second homes in North Wales because the last thing we need is this escalating into what we saw Meibion Glyndwr do in the 1980s.”
The Meibion Glyndŵr group became notorious after holiday homes were set on fire in Wales from 1979 to the mid-1990s.
anet Finch-Saunders added: “Whilst the frustration that house prices are going up in the area, making it harder for locals to buy property, are legitimate, the answer is to build more houses, not trespassing and defacing private property with aggressive campaign material.
“That’s why I have written to the PCC – so we can ensure the law is upheld and that protest remains peaceful and legal. People should not be afraid to sell or buy property because of antagonistic rhetoric from pressure groups.
“There are many issues facing Wales’ housing market, like Labour not building half the homes needed to keep up with demand, so let’s make sure we fix the causes rather than attack the symptoms of the Labour Government’s failure.”
Council tax premium
Osian Jones on behalf of the Nid yw Cymru ar Werth campaign has said: “The regulations and the housing situation have changed since the Council made the original decision to raise a council tax premium of 75% on second homes.
“2,208 houses on the island are considered second homes, which is 9 % of the county’s housing stock, so the council needs to use the opportunity next week to put measures in place now to reduce the problem, by raising the council tax premium for second houses.
“The Welsh Government is not doing enough either – it has been slow to give guidelines to councils about their new powers, and there is still no mention of money or resources for councils to cover the additional work.”
Anglesey Council decided in 2019 that it would charge a 75% council tax premium on second houses.
Since then, the Welsh Government has changed the regulations and Local Authorities can charge a premium of up to 300%, and can put measures in place to require planning permission to change a home into a second house.
Cabinet meeting
Cyngor Môn’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday (29/12) to approve a report on Council Tax for 2023/24. The report confirms the decision made in 2019 to raise 75% of council tax premium on second homes.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith said that second homes are only part of the problem, pointing out that average house prices are £275,635 while the average salary is £27,124.
They are also calling for a Property Act that will regulate the housing market.
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Talk about emotive and subjective language….hostile acts ……putting stickers on a window! She’d see north Wales turned into a theme park with accommodation ( owned by her and her cronies) if she had her way, she’s more concerned about the English owners having to remove pieces of paper off their holiday retreats than she is about our kids who cannot afford homes in Gwynedd and Môn.
This is just one of many reasons why her party will never win enough seats to form a government in the Senedd.
Talk about wanting to see their name in The Telegraph or Spectator but having nothing of value to say!
Wales needs high quality Conservative politicians to challenge status quo from center-right (I wouldn’t vote for them) but we’ve never had close to that.
She is very anti-Wales. She not only wants to see Wales turned into a tourist destination for the wealthy, but sadly I get the impression that she actively favours the displacement of local people in her constituency area, and probably beyond that.
A home is where you live.
There is no such thing as a “second home”.
Although there is such a thing as a property portfolio intended to make a profit.
‘Hafod’ ‘Hendre’…
Is this because a few people put stickers on estate agent signs? Don’t be bloody hysterical!
Thieving greedy pig always blames the victims of thieving greedy pigs like herself.
I think she spends too much time with Patel and Braverman etc. She is loosing the plot, listen to her on 10 Nov Newsnight…Conwy should be wary of this person…
Fair play, the Welsh Tories are absolutely incompetent aren’t they. Shambolic gaggle of right wing dog whistlers. I’ll put this politely … go away and don’t come back until you figure out the meaning of the phrase “Ceidwadwyr Cymreig” and then demonstrate that you are indeed what you say you are.
Cheap shot by the ‘Welsh’ Tories!
Janet Finch-Saunders: ” …… the answer is to build more houses.” Plenty of houses are being built in Conwy – but nobody local can afford their extortionate prices. They are not being built for local need but to be sold to the highest bidder, for profit. For example, in Colwyn Bay many of the new builds are being sold for between 3-400K. Many local workers do not earn enough to afford that. I am on a teacher’s wage (upper scale) and I couldn’t, so somebody working is the local Co-op or Aldi, for example, has no chance. Janet Finch-Saunders needs… Read more »
Oh yeah, cause defiance and defense of one’s country is only acceptable if it’s carried out by certain people, Ukraine, Poland, France, ……,etc. but If the Welsh dare do it. That’s totally unacceptable.
Second home sales should only be permitted when all residents have a FIRST home.
Still no mention of the Plaid Cymru sexual assault allegations then! This lack of mature self criticism does not bode well for a free press in an indy Wales. Grow some balls, Nation Cymru, and report the news.
Yes i was wondering why no report on such a serious issue. Is this publication a Plaid lap dog? Even The Daily Telegraph report Tory scandle.
*scandal. And no the Telegraph don’t. Not until other organs have broken the story. There are dozens of ongoing legal cases and investigations against dozens of Tories. Can you name more than Raab, Braverman and Sunak?
Daf, the alleged assault involved some senior Plaid members’ favourite pastime – boys playing with other boys’ bits! So it’s pretty unsafe to grow balls as some perv will want to play with them.
Look. You have the Heil the Torygraph the Expressly fascist, the Times, the Observer, the Snu, the EBC, Sky news entertainment, the Metro, most of LBC, the GBNews conspiracy channel.
You are moaning now that Nation Cymru does not serve your right wing unionist needs?
Maybe start your own blog? Like that Jac o the North clown?
Parts of Devon, Cornwall, the Lake District and Whitby in North Yorkshire have similar concerns. Disingenuous to make this a ‘Welsh’ problem.
All we get from the Wenglish Tory Janet Finch-Saunders is inflammatory language. The Conservative are baiters & haters. And any threat is the re-emergence of the Westminster’s Welsh Not campaign not any spectre of Meibion Glyndŵr who were the symptom not the cause.
I see only one individual raising the spectre of Meibion Glyndwr here and trying to stir up trouble off the back of it.
She should be ashamed of herself!
When I saw the headline I thought for a split second that JFS was reforming Meibion as a Tory vigilante crew!!
Or set up a fake “Meibion Glyndwr” to turn the population against those campaigning for more regulations on second homes!
Anglesey is a Plaid run council so why are Cymdeithas yr Iaith not speaking with them directly instead of running such a stupid campaign against people who have done nothing wrong. Most on here see nothing wrong in doing this but JFS is right it is highly threatening and if the boot was on the other foot and Welsh locals homes were targeted by non locals in such a way there would be uproar.
What are you talking about? Welsh locals HAVE been targeted in the past by hostile anti-Wales measures, introduced by various UK Governments.
The fact you cannot see it and are more interested in upholding the “rights” of second home-owners to avoid premiums on homes they do not live in shows your level of privilege and sense of entitlement.
There is no “spectre” of Meibion Glyndwr here. This is just trouble stirring.
Well… tbh, I welcome what the Welsh Tories have said. For too long, in my opinion, they have been a part for whom we cannot really fathom who they represent (other than The English Establishment System, of course)…and its English people who own second homes in Cymru,. Bad optics for sure, but at least now we know.
That is where you and all the anti second home brigade are so wrong. The majority of so called second homes in Wales are actually owned by Welsh people- A stat i saw recently was over 60% of second homes are owned by people who actually live within 10 miles of the house. Plaid in Gwynedd who were pushing the campagin against second home owners are now beginning to see this and are pulling back on the 300% council tax as a result.