Former The Countdown star Carol Vorderman is selling her Welsh holiday home after a dramatic increase in council tax due to a crackdown on second homes.
Her council tax bill has nearly tripled from £1,638 to £4,532 following Pembrokeshire Council’s implementation of a 200 per cent premium on second homeowners in April.
Ironically, Vorderman had previously expressed support for such tax hikes, claiming they had “put a lid” on rising house prices in the area.
The television personality confirmed her decision to sell the property on her LBC radio show in August, citing that she wasn’t there “often enough” to justify keeping it.
The seaside apartment is now on the market for £450,000, potentially netting Vorderman a £100,000 profit.
However, the timing of the sale could have significant financial implications as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be considering an increase in capital gains tax (CGT) rates at the upcoming Budget on October 30.
Should Vorderman complete the sale before then, she could save up to £16,000 in taxes.
The flat, boasting “direct views out to sea”, features an open-plan kitchen and living room with a balcony, and two bedrooms with sea views.
Estate agents Country Living Group are handling the sale, with the online listing indicating it has been sold subject to conditions. Vorderman’s representatives, however, have denied that the property has been sold, according to The Telegraph.
Vorderman’s change of heart is striking given her previous enthusiasm for the area, and in 2019 gushed on Instagram: “Can you actually be in love with a place??? This is my heaven down here, I think I’m actually in love with it.”
She even expressed a desire for her funeral to be held there, with her body “lowered from a helicopter onto a funeral pyre on a Viking raft going down Solva harbour”.
Despite the hefty tax increase, Vorderman maintained her support for the policy.
She told her LBC listeners: “I also know that since the council tripled the council tax there, which I fully approve of, it has put a lid on this ridiculous house price rise there. That’s a good thing, I think. Not everyone there would agree with me.”
Vorderman’s decision to sell reflects a broader trend in Wales following the crackdown on second homes.
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In Pembrokeshire alone, the number of holiday homes for sale trebled after the council’s tax increase, with 135 properties on the market in July compared to just 38 the previous year.
This exodus of second homeowners comes as Welsh councils were granted powers to impose extra levies on holiday properties.
Some owners are attempting to avoid the tax by putting their homes up for sale, which can provide a one-year reprieve.
Vorderman, once a vocal Labour supporter, has recently criticised the party for its plan to strip winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners.
