COUNCILLOR Nelly Trevelyan calls for second home owners to pay more tax to fund affordable rural houses ("Are second homes bad for the rural economy?", March 15).

Does she not know that the discount on second home council tax was reduced from 50 per cent to ten per cent in order to provide funds for affordable houses? North Yorkshire councils raised £2.9 million from that tax on second homes last year.

Does she know how much of it was spent on affordable housing? None.

Altogether, £300,000 (ten per cent) has been put into a capital account for future expenditure on affordable houses, but this relies on a further sum of £4 million from the Housing Corporation (more tax money). And that's as near as any of the money gets to providing the housing it was intended for.

North Yorkshire councils will now receive about £3 million each year from second home owners, specifically to provide affordable houses.

Those who need these houses should be asking the councillors why they are not getting built.

Terry Stormont,

Garths End,

Pocklington.

Updated: 09:52 Friday, March 24, 2006