Second homeowners in Oxford will be charged 200% in council tax from April (Image: Getty)
Second home owners in Oxford will be hit with a 200% rise in from April in measures designed to make the city’s wealthier residents pay their fair share towards local services.
Labour-run City Council is one of a number of local authorities bringing in the measures after being handed new powers by the government to charge a premium of up to 100% on council tax last year – meaning owners will pay a total charge of 200%.
The scheme, which will also be implemented in including Cornwall and the Lake District, is aimed at freeing up properties for first-time buyers in high-demand areas.
And councilors in Oxford have also voted to charge a total 200% council tax on 668 homes in the city from the spring – making the City of Spires a markedly less attractive place for second homeowners.
“If people have a second home in Oxford, it’s only right that they make an appropriate contribution [towards] local services,” deputy leader Ed Turner told the .
“We really want to make Oxford a fairer place to live,” he added. “We need this money and I think we will be charging from the first moment that we legally can.”
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The number of second homes in Oxford rose from 451 to 712 in 2024 (Image: Getty)
Councils are required to give property owners 12 months notice before hiking up council tax costs – with the new premium applying to properties that don’t qualify as main residences.
It could result in a windfall of over £100m for the 27 local councils planning to make use of the new powers, according to research from the Local Government Chronicle.
Data shows that Cornwall Council, which presides over the county often dubbed the second home capital of the UK, is set to rake in £27m from the new premium, while North Yorkshire Council will raise £14m.
Similar initiatives have also been rolled out in Wales and Scotland, with the latter going further and empowering councils to charge a 200% rate on secondary residences.
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The number of properties not in residential use on a long-term basis in Oxford rose from 451to 712 last year, according to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
And just a few days ago, the city famous for its 900-year-old university retained its title of the least affordable city to live in in the UK.
The Cities Outlook 2025 report by thinktank Centre for Cities found that the average property in Oxford costs £571,300 – over 13 times its residents’ annual salary, which was £42,000 in 2023.