ONE in every 19 homes in West Somerset is now an unoccupied second home, according to central government figures.

West Somerset has the highest number of second homes in Somerset and one of the highest in the West Country.

The high level of second homes in the area – and other parts of the UK – has attracted criticisms from a national charity, which has attacked what it calls “buy-to-leave”.

The council has said that it is taking action to ensure that rural housing needs are delivered regardless of how many second homes are purchased.

West Somerset has a total of 18,137 properties which are eligible for council tax as of October 2017, the most recent figures available from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Of these, 980 properties are classified as second homes – which works out as one in every 19 across the entire district, or just under five per cent of all residential properties.

This ratio is five times higher than the English average (of one home in every 97 being a second home), and is more than four times higher than any other part of Somerset.

South Somerset is the next highest Somerset area, with 832 second homes (one in every 92), followed by Sedgemoor (552 homes, or one in every 99), Mendip (403 homes, or one in 128) and finally Taunton Deane (341 homes, or one in 157).

Second homes are not classed as empty homes because they are fully furnished and occasionally inhabited –  and therefore do not attract the same council tax premiums that can be levied on empty properties as an incentive for their owners to bring them back into use.

Will McMahon, director of the charity Empty Homes, has criticised the “buy-to-leave” culture that second homes create.

He said: “Research has found ample evidence that buy-to-leave is occurring in high-value residential areas, yet there is little action being taken to address this.

“This is possibly because designing effective deterrents is complicated and would be resisted by those who are wealthy and influential.

“Exploring what would work best should include building on the planning policy adopted by the London Borough of Islington, which requires new dwellings not to be left unoccupied for a set continuous period, and also looking abroad to what other cities are doing to deal with this problem.

“The current housing crisis requires a lot of different solutions – tackling buy to leave should be a high priority.”

West Somerset Council does not offer council tax discounts on most second homes.

However, a 50 per cent discount is available if the second home in question is a boat, a caravan or is used for employment purposes (for instance, if someone regularly works in two separate locations for any period of time).

West Somerset’s second home ratio is comparable to Cornwall (one in every 20 homes), but is lower than parts of Devon; in the South Hams district, one in every 11 residential properties is a second home.

The council has said that the district’s visual beauty and numerous tourist attractions have made such a high rate of second homes inevitable, and that it is putting funding into projects to deliver affordable rural housing.

A West Somerset Council spokesperson said: “We administer an area that includes part of Exmoor National Park, a beautiful coastline and the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

"It is inevitable that people will want to spend time here to enjoy the area and acquire a second home if they are able to do so.

“The council has no power to stop people from buying a second home. Owners of a second home have to pay full council tax on the property.

“However, the district did benefit from a share of government funding to mitigate against the effects of high levels of second home ownership.

“We have ring-fenced the funds received (£574,760) for housing projects and are currently working with development partners and communities to deliver small-scale, predominantly affordable housing schemes which will make a real difference in rural villages.”