Surrey council plots ‘pointless' second homes tax raid
Spelthorne Borough Council has just 76 second home owners on its books, yet it has agreed to bring in a 100pc council tax premium from April 2027.
Critics argued the small share of second home owners – which equates to 0.2pc of the Surrey borough's housing stock – will avoid paying the levy by making use of exemptions.
Owners can swerve the additional rate for 12 months by listing their property for sale, without having to commit to a transaction. The home can also be marketed for let.
Spelthorne Council, which was more than £1bn in debt as of January, became the latest local authority to tax second home owners following a meeting on Thursday.
Local authorities in England were given the power to charge a double tax premium from April 1 under laws passed by the previous Conservative government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Hidden impact of UK's shoplifting epidemic revealed as crime wave costs every household £150 a year through price hikes
BRITAIN'S shoplifting epidemic is pushing the UK's retail sector into a 'vicious cycle', with rampant theft fuelling out-of-control inflation. The Sun on Sunday can reveal that the crime wave is costing households almost £147 a year as stores hike prices to recoup their losses and pay for extra security measures. 7 Britain's shoplifting epidemic is pushing the UK's retail sector into a 'vicious cycle', with rampant theft fuelling out-of-control inflation Credit: Getty 7 A looter is captured on shops' CCTV 7 A shoplifter is pictured in a store Credit: Getty 7 A crook pockets stolen items before leaving this shop Credit: Darren Fletcher With inflation jumping to a worrying 3.6 per cent this week — and with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey under pressure to slash interest rates to stimulate growth — experts warn that shop theft is pushing inflation ever higher. Economist Dr Kamran Mahroof, associate professor at the University of Bradford, said: 'We are stuck in a vicious circle, with high prices provoking people to steal at the same time as shoplifting forces stores to raise the cost of their goods, exacerbating inflation. Billions of pounds worth of stock is being stolen, but it doesn't stop there. 'Security tags are being put on pretty much everything nowadays, from baby formula to butter and cheese, and these tags have to be bought from a supplier and then they have to be attached, and time costs money. Costs retailers billions 'Rampant theft is also causing staff to go off sick because they are fed up with being intimidated and assaulted, and that is an additional cost to the retailer. 'Shoplifting is not the only cause of inflation and the most significant factors are rising production costs, geopolitical tensions and other external shocks. 'But you can't turn a blind eye to the significance of this crime as someone needs to pay for it and the burden is falling on the consumer.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves has come under increasing pressure to act on spiralling inflation after prices rose by more than expected in the year to June. In 2023, shoplifting added £133 to the cost of an average household's shopping bill for the year, according to the Centre For Retail Research. The Sun on Sunday's own research suggests the new cost is nearly £147 — a ten per cent increase. There were 516,971 shoplifting crimes last year, according to the Office for National Statistics, which is a 20 per cent increase on 2023 when 429,873 offences were recorded. I pinched £30m worth of goods as UK's most prolific shoplifter to get my daily hit of heroin - I've been jailed 28 times In its annual crime survey of major retailers, the British Retail Consortium found that violence and abuse against shop workers rose by 50 per cent, with more than 2,000 incidents recorded on average each day. BRC head of communications Tom Holder added: 'Shoplifting costs retailers billions a year, and on top of that there are myriad anti-crime measures that take place — everything from security guards to security tags, CCTV and all the rest. There's also crime costs including vandalism and employee theft that do not come under shop theft or security measures. 'The total cost is about £4.2billion across the entire retail sector. 'The amount lost is a large chunk of the profit margin. And that pushes up costs for everyone.' The Consortium is calling for the Government to crack down on the crime epidemic to prevent prices rising even further. Tom added: 'The increase in shoplifting is concerning for two reasons. First, it pushes up the cost of shopping for everyone. It can make the difference for some households between what they can afford and what they can't. 'The other side is that shoplifting is a major trigger for violence against staff, particularly if they intervene. 'Most theft isn't because Granny can't afford something so she slips a few choice items in her handbag. A large chunk of this is organised crime where people come in and go straight for the high-value goods — the alcohol, cigarettes, electronics and phones — with a group of four or five others, often wielding weapons. 'This crimewave is not being caused by a cost-of-living crisis, with people thinking the only way I can survive is to steal. 'The real rise has been in organised crime and that's not a crime of desperation, it's a crime of opportunities.' Our shoplifting probe has found that major High Street chains are now using alarm tags and stickers, each costing around £50, to protect everything from meals-for-one to make-up brushes. And Ann Summers has become the latest retailer to give its staff body cameras to combat thefts. 7 Rachel Reeves has come under increasing pressure to act on spiralling inflation after prices rose by more than expected in the year to June Credit: EPA 7 Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey is under pressure to slash interest rates to stimulate growth Credit: Reuters Tesco Express workers in Redhill, Surrey, are attaching security devices to pizzas costing £4.75 as well as Tesco Finest ready meals retailing at £5.25. The alarms go off if someone removes the tags or leaves the store without paying. One exasperated employee told us: 'If they can flog it, they'll take it, even pizzas.' 'Any shop is a target' Meanwhile, at a Sainsbury's Local in crime-ravaged Croydon, South London, trendy Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA beers selling for £2.25 are also fitted with security tags, as are cans of Sainsbury's gin and diet tonic costing £1.70. Down the road at Boots, entire displays of make-up products worth as little as £3 per item are fitted with anti-theft tags, and three security guards patrol the store. Shelves of confectionery are protected behind specially installed plastic security grills. Experts warn that users of sites such as Vinted, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and TikTok may be unwittingly buying stolen goods. Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, is calling for internet giants to do more to stop organised gangs selling their wares online. We are stuck in a vicious circle, with high prices provoking people to steal at the same time as shoplifting forces stores to raise the cost of goods, exacerbating inflation Dr Mahroof He said: 'Previously, it was grocery stores that sold tobacco, alcohol and food that were worst affected. 'Now it seems that any shop is a target. Toy shops, children's clothes shops, hardware stores, health stores — they are all having to take measures to try to reduce the amount of stock they are losing. They are smaller so they can keep a closer eye on things, but they are also more vulnerable to the criminals who seem increasingly emboldened. 'We used to talk about two per cent shrinkage [stock losses] and it's certainly a lot more than that now. 'Organised crime is getting more organised when it comes to shoplifting, and shops are being attacked because the goods are so easy to sell on online platforms to unsuspecting shoppers. We need a way of addressing that. 'The online platforms need to be more rigorous. 'Are these items preloved or pre-stolen? That would be our question. And we think a lot of it is probably stolen.' All the stores mentioned were contacted for comment. SECURITY TAGS ON MONOPOLY AND BOOZE BOARD games including Monopoly and Cluedo were fitted with two forms of security alarms when the Sun on Sunday visited stores this week. They were protected by alarm tags and stickers in TGJones, formerly WHSmith, in Croydon, South London. It comes after serial thief Omar Innis, 32, was spotted by West End cops carrying board games and toys last month. It was the seventh time he had struck in over a month, nicking £1,300 of goods. At Westminster Magistrates' Court, Innis, of North London, pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for 26 weeks. A spokesman for TGJones said: 'The high street is facing increased levels of crime and we have been taking action to ensure our stores remain welcoming places for our colleagues and customers.' 7 Shopkeeper Ben Selvaratnam in Croydon Credit: Paul Edwards
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Transgender pool player loses discrimination case
A transgender pool player has lost a discrimination claim against one of the sport's English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF) banned players who were not born biologically female from its women's competitions and teams in August player Harriet Haynes took the organisation to court, saying the rule was "direct discrimination" against her on the grounds of her gender a court judge has said he is satisfied exclusion was the only "reasonable" way to ensure "fair competition" and dismissed her representatives said they were disappointed with the decision and are weighing up whether to landmark ruling follows a legal definition of a woman by the UK Supreme Court in April as someone who is biologically female under equalities Equality Act provides protection against discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including "sex" and "gender reassignment".His Honour Judge Parker said pool is a "gender-affected activity" and that excluding those born as male from the female category was necessary to "secure fair competition". The EBPF said it was delighted by the decision and that it welcomes transgender players in its 'open' argued that players who were born male and went through male puberty have specific physical advantages in cue sports, such as an ability to generate higher break speed, greater hand span to bridge over balls and a longer reach.A spokesperson said: "The court found that pool is a game in which men have an advantage over women and that allowing only those born as women to compete in our women's competitions is necessary to secure fair competition."In her claim, Haynes said her exclusion from the Kent Women's A pool team had caused her distress and upset, and she had been subjected to hurtful comments on social also claimed the policy violated the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to respect for an individual's private and family the EBPF said the rule did not discriminate against her on the grounds of gender reassignment as "she was born male".Matt Champ, senior associate at Colman Coyle, who represented Haynes, said: "We are reflecting on the judgment and our next steps which will include whether or not we appeal."In January 2024, Haynes said she received "vile" and "horrific" abuse online after her opponent Lynn Pinches refused to play her and conceded the Women's Champion of Champions final in has argued that transgender players have competed in female categories for 20 years, and that there was no categoric evidence they have an advantage in cue sports.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Former Everton star Yerry Mina eyeing shock return to Premier League with defender free to leave Cagliari
YERRY MINA has eyes on a Prem return — and can leave Cagliari for £1.8million. The Colombian centre-half, 30, was a cult hero at Everton before moving to Italy two years ago. 1 He cost £30million in 2018 and made 99 appearances for the Toffees. Injury hampered the centre-back during his time on Merseyside and he left at the end of the 2022/23 season having played just eight games that campaign. Those problems persisted following his move to Fiorentina, where he played just six times in one season. He has spent the last two years at Serie A side Cagliari and was ever-present last year, scoring one goal in 31 games. Meanwhile Everton's transfer activity has been quiet so far this summer. Boss David Moyes says he needs "five or six" players in the next week, after his side lost 3-0 to Bournemouth in a friendly. He said: 'We've signed three, so if you take that off, we're still in the need of maybe five or six players. 'That's what we have to try and do. 'In the past I probably have had to sign a lot of players, but I've never had to do so many in one window as we need now.' Moyes suggested that he and the club's new Friedkin Group owners are paying for the chaos of the final years under Farhad Moshiri. Everton and West Ham to fight it out for Douglas Luiz He said: 'We're sort of picking up a little bit of what we're at the end of now. 'We had a lot of people out of contracts, a lot of loan players, because of the financial situation. 'So we're having to sort of find a way around that and we're trying really, really hard behind the scenes to get things done. 'But you can see we're going to need it. 'We've got no centre-halves and we're really struggling.'
