EMPTY homes and their absentee owners have been put in the crosshairs by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC)

TVBC voted unanimously to slash the timescales on charging Council Tax premiums on absentee second-home owners at the Extraordinary Council meeting on Wednesday, March 19.

It means that additional charges will be lived on empty second homes after 12 months instead of two years.

Cllr Nick Adams-King, also the leader of Hampshire County Council, said it would help communities which have suffered from a lack of permanent residents.

He said: "Test Valley is a beautiful place [...] but those that want to come [...] and have holiday homes and only use them on occasion, need to be able to contribute to the local economy and the local community."

Councillors mt at Romsey's Crosfield Hall on Wednesday, March 19 (Image: Charles Elliman) Cllr Adams-King continued: "I think, firstly, it sends a message about the fact that we expect people to contribute. Secondly, it sends a message that says, 'Don't sit with a house that's empty when there are many people that are homeless and we wish to help them.'

"Thirdly, it creates an additional stream of income, which realistically is starting next April, will probably only help the county for a year or two but, more importantly, it contributes to those successor councils and it makes it more likely that there will be some money to be able to continue all that good work that we've always done in Test Valley."

Timescales for charging the 100 per cent premium for unoccupied and unfurnished dwellings have been reduced from two years to one year.

The council also moved to apply a 100 per cent premium to homes which are no one’s sole or primary residence and have been substantially furnished for more than one year.

According to council documents, there are 111 dwellings currently recorded as unoccupied and unfurnished for between one and two years. There are 130 dwellings recorded as having been second homes for one year or more.

As an estimate, if the 241 were charged a 100 per cent premium, the TVBC share of Council Tax would be £48,000.

Cllr Phil North, the Leader of TVBC, said: "We want to encourage people to be there [in communities] for a vast majority of the year, so they can contribute to village life; so they can keep the school, [the] shop, in business. I think that that is important."