The conservative case for doubling council tax

Back in The Critic

On Wednesday North Yorkshire Council - myself included - voted to increase council tax by 100% on second homes. I know that was a controversial - some would say unconservative - thing to do.

But I believe there is a genuine, coherent conservative case for this huge increase on North Yorkshire’s 8,000+ second homes, and I've explained why in The Critic this morning.

As I explain in the piece, it can be difficult to develop a coherent ideological platform as a councillor, because ‘your primary challenge is often to mitigate the fallout from structural problems or policies that are beyond your power to change.’

Without enough supply, housing is essentially a zero-sum game. Our vote in the Council Chamber on Wednesday was therefore a choice on how the scales are balanced between stable, cooperative and contented communities and personal autonomy. It was a chance to price people into, not out of our communities, and reinforce Burke’s ‘Little Platoons.’

Let me know what you think.