Proposals to make changes to council tax arrangements for long-term empty properties in Pembrokeshire have been backed by a Tenby councillor.

Council tax arrangements for long-term empty domestic properties in Pembrokeshire may change under new proposals being put forward by the county council.

There are approximately 1,100 such properties in the county, which receive a 50 per cent discount on the annual council tax due and a further 800 which are currently exempt, but will move to a 50 per cent discount over time.

Pembrokeshire County Council has launched a consultation asking people for their views on two specific proposals relating to council tax on these properties.

The first proposal is the removal of the 50 per cent council tax discount. The council suggests that this be incremental, based on the length of time for which the property has been empty.

The second proposal is to introduce a council tax premium. This would be subject to a decision to remove the 50 per cent discount. The council may specify different levels of council tax premium (up to 100 per cent) on properties based on the length of time for which they have been empty, under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.

The county council is considering making these changes because long-term empty properties have a negative impact on the availability of housing, and on the attractiveness and sustainability of local communities.

The potential removal of the current discount and the introduction of a premium could encourage the release of long-term empty properties back into the local housing supply. Having more houses occupied could help improve the appearance and viability of local communities.

However, the removal of the discount would also increase the number of domestic properties used to calculate the council’s potential to raise money through council tax. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of money received from Welsh Government.

Commenting on the correspondence received on the matter from PCC at Tuesday night’s meeting of Tenby Town Council, Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown told her colleagues that she would agree with the changes.

“Several properties in Tenby have been unoccupied for quite some time,” remarked Clr. Mrs. Brown.

“Many housing areas within the town walls have not been finished or developed. We are short of housing in the town, we are always banging on about it and lots of young people move out of Tenby because there are no long term lets.

“I’d support PCC pushing forward the changes they are proposing,” added Clr. Mrs. Brown.

The deadline for responses is Monday, September 18, while a final decision on the proposals will be made by full council at its meeting on October 19.