South Lakes MP Tim Farron has made fresh calls for the Government to give local councils in England the power to increase council tax on second homes.
It comes as Gwynedd Council in Wales has announced plans to double council tax on second homes.
A loophole allows second homeowners to class their property as a holiday let, which means they do not have to pay any council tax.
The Government launched a consultation, which ended in January 2019, to look at closing the loophole, but no further work has been done.
Mr Farron said: “The increasing number of second homes, many of which are left empty for big chunks of the year, threatens to turn many of our local communities into ghost towns.
“Sadly the Government’s decision to drag their feet on a two-year-old consultation on closing the tax loophole for second homeowners shows that they are simply not taking this issue seriously.
“We need our local councils to be given the power to raise council tax on second homes.
“This would not only disincentivise people from buying second homes here in the South Lakes but it would also provide funds for us to compensate local schools, public transport and other services that are damaged by the lack of a full-time population.”
