CRAVEN'S nearly 950 second home owners have been given notice they will be charged double council tax from April next year.

Owners of 945 homes classed as 'second homes' for council tax purposes have received early warning in their annual council tax bills recently delivered across North Yorkshire.

Amongst information on the back of the bill is the line: "Second Homes: Properties that are not used as any persons' sole or main residence which are substantially furnished are liable to pay a full charge. From 1 April 2025, properties in this category will be subject to a 100 per cent council tax premium."

The average band D property in Craven this year will pay £1,847, per year, a 5.62 per cent increase from last year's £1,749.

In February, North Yorkshire Council became one of the first authorities in the country to take up new government measures allowing a council tax premium on second homes.

It is believed to be the only authority that has said the money raised from the premium will be used to build housing in areas particularly affected by the affordability crisis - such as the Yorkshire Dales.

At the March meeting of Gargrave Parish Council, councillor Simon Myers, who represents Mid-Craven on North Yorkshire Council, said the council believed changes to council tax would raise between £12 million and £18 million, allowing the council to build thousands of new homes.

He said Whitby and Scarborough were likely to get the largest proportion of the money, as they were the areas where the largest share would be generated, but there would still be funding in Craven.

And, he repeated one of the worst parts of being on the council executive was approving the closure of village schools because there were not enough families living in the area.

It is also hoped it will mean second homes being brought back into full time use in communities where locals have been priced out of the housing market.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has said it strongly supports the council tax premium and that the 'very high number' of second homes in the national park is a 'long-standing' issue for communities.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said: "The council has issued 304,000 council tax bills which all have a line about the council tax premium on second homes included in the general description of discounts and premiums. It is not targeted messaging specifically for second home owners.

"There are 945 properties in the former Craven area classed as second homes for council tax purposes."