Second homes: 'Not much has happened' on Welsh pilot scheme

A pilot scheme to tackle problems with second homes lacks "clarity" and "leadership", a council leader says.

Dwyfor was chosen as a pilot area by Welsh ministers, to begin in January this year, because of the significant proportion of second homes there.

But Gwynedd council's Dyfrig Siencyn told BBC Radio Cymru "not much has happened up to now, as far as I can see".

Ministers said they have offered to meet him to discuss "any issues".

The Dwyfor area covers the Llyn Peninsula and the area west of Porthmadog.

In July 2021 ministers announced they would pick an area of Wales to pilot new policies in an attempt to "inject fairness back into the housing system".

But six months on Mr Siencyn told the Dros Ginio programme he was "genuinely concerned that we're not very clear on what exactly is being piloted".

At the time, the Welsh government said the pilot would "build on the practical support Welsh government is already providing to address affordability and availability of housing and will be tailored to suit the needs of people in the area".

It added that "two dedicated posts will support delivery of the pilot in the areas to link the interventions, engage with communities and maximise the impact".

But Dyfrig Siencyn said that the process has left a lot of questions about its purpose unanswered.

"We aren't sure what it's trying to achieve, officials have been appointed by the government - we haven't been a part of that, so we're asking the question."

On Thursday the Senedd's Local Government and Housing Committee published its report on second homes in Wales.

Six of the Committee's 15 recommendations refer to taking lessons from the Dwyfor pilot.

Mr Siencyn said: "I'm genuinely concerned that we're not very clear on what exactly is being piloted and agree with the report which says that the government needs to report back on this soon to tell us exactly what they are trying to do, define clearly what they are trying to do, and how they are going to evaluate that."

Most of the second homes registered for council tax in Wales are in the north west county of Gwynedd - 5,098 - followed by 4,068 in Pembrokeshire and 2,139 in Anglesey.

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are pleased to be working collaboratively with Gwynedd Council on the most ambitious second homes pilot in the UK.

"We have offered to meet with the leader to discuss any issues.

"We welcome today's report and will consider the recommendations carefully before updating in due course."