A vote has paved the way for north Norfolk second home owners to face a doubling of their council tax bills. 

Councillors have voted in favour of the increase at a North Norfolk District Council’s full meeting on November 16.

It is thought the move could raise up to £8.2m each year, money the authority would want to plough into building more affordable homes. 

Councillor Eric Seward, portfolio holder for finance and assets, said: “If we are to introduce this charge we are firmly of the view that that money must be ring-fenced to fund affordable housing, to compensate for the shortage of housing stock and to make some real inroads into the 2,700 households that are currently on our waiting list.”

The tax hike would not be introduced until April 2024 and is dependent on the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament. 

If passed, the bill would give councils the power to lift council tax bills for second home owners, but Mr Seward said some important details were still to be confirmed. 

He said: “Until the legislation is actually passed I don’t know if it will be a 100pc premium, or if there will be flexibility on that.”

Mr Seward said it was also unclear whether the hike would have to apply across the whole district, or could be limited to areas with a particularly high number of second homes. 

He added that the council would have to work with North Council Council to ensure the proceeds would go back into affordable housing - as only around 9p in every pound of council tax collected goes to the district council. 

North Norfolk has almost 5,400 second homes - the highest proportion in England and Wales outside of London.

NNDC councillors have also voted to give people repairing ‘uninhabitable’ homes a 50pc council tax discount.

Mr Seward said: “The repairs must be complete within nine months to avoid delays. 

“For a Band D property, this will mean a council tax reduction, at current rates, of around £980.

"We believe with delays in finding contractors at this current time, that this is an appropriate thing to do.”