London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has called for councils to have the power to significantly increase council tax on second homes, potentially more than doubling the current rate.
Sir Sadiq says the move could help to address the capital’s housing crisis.
Speaking on LBC, Sir Sadiq argued that the existing power to double council tax on empty second homes is insufficient.
“That's not enough,” he said.
“I want councils to have the power to charge much more for leaving your property vacant.”
Sir Sadiq highlighted the issue of empty investment properties, citing flats in Nine Elms, in the city’s southwest, as an example of “gold brick” investments where properties are left unoccupied.
“They’ve not been lived in, because those who bought it know equity will go up and the price of the flat will go up, and they don’t need to live there,” he said.
“Wandsworth, great council, the max they can charge is double council tax.
“I am not being funny, if you can afford a flat and leave it empty, you can pay double council tax.
“I think boroughs should be allowed to charge much, much more.”
The mayor is lobbying the government to grant councils greater powers to discourage empty properties, advocating for the ability to impose substantially higher council tax rates.
This call for increased powers comes just a week after Sir Sadiq announced plans to explore building on London’s green belt land, a shift from his previous stance prioritising brownfield sites for development.
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In a speech, he hit out at what he said are myths that the green belt is “all beautiful countryside, green and pleasant land, rich with wildlife”.
“The reality is very different. The green belt can often be low-quality land, poorly maintained and rarely enjoyed by Londoners.”
Sir Sadiq said 88,000 new homes are needed in London each year for the next decade to meet the growing demand for housing.
Median house prices since the turn of the century have grown twice as fast as wages in London, while private rents have increased 40 per cent in the last decade.
Boroughs across the capital spend £4m a day on temporary accommodation due to the lack of available council properties, while hundreds of thousands of people are on waiting lists for social housing.
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