From 1 April 2017 under Part 7, Section 139 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, Authorities in Wales have the discretion to charge Council Tax Premiums on long-term empty properties and second homes.From 1st April 2023, local authorities were given the power by Welsh Government to raise council tax premiums for long-term empty and second homes by up to 300% over the standard charge.Conwy County Borough Council, at its meeting on 17th October 2024 (in accordance with section 12a and 12b of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as inserted by section 139 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014), made the following determinations:(i) Charge a 150% Council Tax Premium for […]
The Welsh Government has provided an update to its Deposit Return Scheme. A summary can be found below. To align with the rest of the UK, Wales will be bringing forward the implementation of its scheme to October 2027. The Welsh Government still intends to introduce a scheme that focuses on re-use and includes glass. There will be interoperability between the common materials in the UK (PET, steel and aluminium cans) A phased approach will be introduced, within which there will no requirement to have separate labelling. https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-update-deposit-return-scheme-delivers-wales A Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is being introduced to increase recycling rates and reduce litter. The scheme will require consumers to pay a […]
The Senedd has today voted to give councils the choice to introduce a visitor levy on overnight stays to raise and reinvest vital funding into local tourism. https://www.gov.wales/senedd-passes-legislation-to-support-the-future-of-tourism-in-wales