£122,950 for a two-bedroomed flat?
£169,000 for a three-bedroomed terraced house?
You're bound to know someone who already just can't compete.
So what's the answer?
A lot of things need to change, but there are some CLEAR, SIMPLE improvements that we could get started with RIGHT NOW.
Holiday Home Owners
One of the worst problems is the habit wealthy people have of buying more houses than they actually need.
These 'holiday homes' are used for an occasional week here or there every year, and lie empty for the rest of the time.
Why should anyone NEED more than one home?
If these people have that much money, just MAYBE they could afford to stay in a bed and breakfast, or even a fancy hotel, and put money into our local economy instead of just taking our houses?
In areas where there is a high percentage of holiday homes (and anything over 10% is high), the natural networks of society begin to break down - public amenities get cut back (not enough call for them in the winter, they say), the levels of crime and disorder rise (nobody there to keep an eye on next door), and prices get pushed so high that local people can't afford to stay in their own communities.
Why doesn't the Council stand up for us?
High numbers of holiday homes do real damage to local people.
They prevent our young people from being able to stay in their communities.
They help destroy our communities.
And all this just to make life slightly easier for the rich.
We MUST put a stop to this
Cymuned is a housing and communities pressure group which also supports the Welsh language.
We are calling on your Council to increase council tax on holiday homes to 200%. The extra money generated by this should be put into local projects for affordable housing for local need. If someone can afford to buy a holiday home and inflict the damage that causes on our communities, they can afford to contribute more to projects that help make up for that damage.
It's time to ditch the idea that homes are just one more way to try and squeeze profit out of the system.
It's time to call a halt to putting the pleasure of wealthy people ahead of the needs of local people.
It's time to stop the countryside from becoming nothing more than a playground for the rich.
200% tax on Holiday Homes!