Crawley council leader sends clear message to West Sussex County Council about potholes

This was the message from Crawley Borough Council leader Michael Jones after the authority agreed that people who own second homes but leave them empty most of the time should pay twice as much council tax.

The decision, which applies to properties such as holiday homes, was made during a meeting of the full council on Wednesday (March 27).

It was also agreed that the owners of homes left unoccupied and mostly unfurnished would have to pay the 100 per cent premium after a year, rather than the current two years.