Authority raises £12m from premium but does not record how many undeclared homes checks have found

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL raised more than £12m from second-home council tax premiums last year, but says it does not record how many additional properties have been uncovered through compliance or enforcement work.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show that 4,662 properties were registered as second homes in Pembrokeshire as of June 1, 2026.

Of those, 3,798 were liable for the second-home premium.

The council confirmed that the debit raised from second-home premiums in 2025/26, including police and town and community council precepts, was £12.035m.

But when asked whether any additional second homes or holiday lets had been identified following compliance or enforcement activity in the last 12 months, and what extra revenue had been recovered, the authority replied: “Information not recorded.”

The answer is likely to raise questions over how effectively the council is measuring the success of its checks at a time when second homes remain one of the most contentious issues in Pembrokeshire.

The county has some of the most desirable coastal communities in Wales, but many local people say they are increasingly priced out of the places where they grew up.

Second-home premiums were introduced to help address the impact of empty and periodically occupied properties, while also raising funds for local services.

However, the Herald asked the council whether it was confident it was identifying all properties liable for the premium, and what checks were being used to spot potentially undeclared second homes or holiday lets.

In response, Pembrokeshire County Council said: “All reasonable steps are taken to ensure second homes are accurately identified.

“If accounts are identified as evading or having evaded the premium through data analysis, records are corrected. This is applied not only going forward but also retrospectively.”

The council added that where circumstances are unclear, its “default position” is to apply the second-home premium.

It said: “The customer then has the opportunity to provide evidence to the contrary if they feel this decision is incorrect. Ultimately an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal can be made.”

Asked whether it cross-references information from short-term holiday letting platforms, planning records, electoral roll data, business rates or other sources, the council said: “All available avenues are used to confirm the accuracy of data held.”

But the authority did not provide a breakdown of what those checks involve, and did not hold figures showing how many properties had been identified through compliance activity.

The council also confirmed that the number of second homes in Pembrokeshire has increased since the second-home premium was introduced.

Questions about whether current legislation gives councils sufficient powers to identify and enforce second-home premium liability were refused on the grounds that they did not amount to a valid FOI request for recorded information.

The council also declined to give a broader view on the impact the premium is having on housing availability, local communities and council finances, saying this would require it to create new information or give an opinion or judgement not already recorded.

The figures show the scale of the issue facing Pembrokeshire.

Nearly 4,700 properties are now registered as second homes in the county, and the premium has become a major source of council tax income.

But the council’s admission that enforcement outcomes are not recorded leaves a key question unanswered: how many second homes are still slipping through the net?

For residents struggling to buy or rent in their own communities, and for those paying the premium on declared second homes, that question is unlikely to go away.

WALES’ four Police and Crime Commissioners are to be questioned by MPs next week as major changes to the way policing is governed move closer.

The Welsh Affairs Committee will take evidence on Wednesday, July 8, as part of its inquiry into the future of policing in Wales.

The session will examine the UK Government’s proposed reforms, including plans to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners at the end of their current electoral term in 2028.

In England, PCC responsibilities are expected to pass to elected regional mayors or council leaders. However, there is still uncertainty over who would take on those functions in Wales, where policing remains reserved to Westminster but local government and many related public services are devolved.

MPs are also expected to question the commissioners on the wider implications of the UK Government’s Police Reform Bill, including proposals that could lead to the merger of some of the 43 territorial police forces across England and Wales.

The committee is likely to explore how any changes would affect accountability, local policing priorities, rural crime, funding, and the relationship between Welsh police forces, the Home Office and the Welsh Government.

Topical policing issues are also expected to be raised, including violence against women and girls, the use of live facial recognition technology, and the continuing debate over whether policing should be devolved to Wales.

The witnesses will be Dafydd Llywelyn, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys Police; Jane Mudd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent Police; Andy Dunbobbin, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales Police; and Emma Wools, Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales Police.

The public session is due to begin at 2.30pm in Committee Room 16 at the Palace of Westminster and can be watched live on Parliamentlive.tv.

Ruth Jones MP chairs the Welsh Affairs Committee, which scrutinises the work of the Wales Office and UK Government policy affecting Wales.

Immersive Sue Dewhurst show at Oriel Cardi Bach brings 1970s working-class memories vividly back to life

A UNIQUE exhibition at Oriel Cardi Bach in Cardigan is bringing back memories, laughter and unexpected emotion, as visitors are invited to step inside the aftermath of a typical 1970s working-class party.

Narrative artist and storyteller Sue Dewhurst has transformed part of the gallery into an immersive experience where people are encouraged to do far more than simply look at paintings.

Visitors can scan QR codes to hear playlists inspired by each character, smell the perfumes and aftershaves of the era, browse shopping lists and handwritten notes, discover favourite recipes, and even add their own memories to Menna’s Teapot.

Sue said: “It’s lovely watching people realise they’re allowed to interact. Once they start exploring the boxes and reading the stories, conversations begin.

“Suddenly they’re telling me about their auntie, their neighbour, or someone they’d completely forgotten until that moment.”

The exhibition celebrates the humour, resilience and quiet dignity of ordinary working-class lives, drawing inspiration from people and memories from Northern Britain and rural West Wales.

What begins as a smile at the characters often becomes something deeper, as visitors recognise fragments of their own families, streets and childhoods in the stories.

One visitor described the exhibition as so moving that she joked she “needed therapy” afterwards. Many others have already left their own memories in Menna’s Teapot, creating a growing collection of local stories alongside the artwork.

From the Outside Looking In brings together several connected bodies of work.

A Bit of a Do revisits the colourful characters Sue observed at family weddings and parties as a child, complete with a ceramic buffet featuring sad sausage rolls and a half-eaten cheese and pineapple hedgehog.

The Chapel Girls explores how modern rituals have replaced traditional worship, as glamorous women hurry past chapels on their way to bottomless brunches, bingo, shopping trips and pamper sessions.

Ghost Town reflects on the bittersweet experience of returning to your hometown, only to discover that it has moved on without you.

The exhibition is completed by Sue’s new Cardigan Bay series, in which she explores the area’s rich maritime heritage through the eyes of an affectionate outsider.

Sue hopes visitors will leave having laughed first, then remembered someone they thought had been forgotten.

From the Outside Looking In continues at Oriel Cardi Bach on Cardigan High Street, next to The Hive Ice Cream Parlour, until July 30.

Visitors are invited to slow down, explore the stories and perhaps leave one of their own.