I READ with interest the article on rural housing (Plan to tackle rural housing, May 19) and was quite amazed at the supposed reason for the affordable housing shortage.

To blame second homeowners is not on. Councillors should look further into what caused the problem. Most villages had council houses but, since the right to buy, most were snapped up by the tenants as a future investment.

Many of these homes have been greatly improved and some sold on at the market price between £150,000 and £200,000 in our area. This is beyond the purchasing power of the rural worker. I don't believe that the second home owner would be buying these homes either. Very few councils were in favour of the right to buy during Mrs Thatcher's period of government, they could see the long-term problems To increase the council tax on second homes to at least double again is outrageous. I believe the tax at the present time is 90 per cent of the full tax and I read that Scarborough Borough Council would be building affordable homes from this revenue when it was increased some two years ago. I wonder how many have been built?

Many rural second homes were, in fact, rescued from demolition, having fallen into disrepair. Had these properties been owned by the council they would certainly have been demolished. You only have to look at the new delightful coastal villages which have been rescued by people willing to renovate tumbledown abandoned houses. For most of the year these same villages, Staithes, Runswick, Robin Hood's Bay etc are enjoyed by holidaymakers and second home owners bringing life back to the older parts of these villages.

Come on councillors, there were plenty of rural affordable homes which have now mostly gone into the general property market. To expect second homeowners to finance building the stock up again is just silly.

For the record, I was born and brought up on a council estate.

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