CAROL VORDERMAN SELLS WALES HOLIDAY HOME AFTER COUNCIL TAX BILL ALMOST TRIPLES

Carol Vorderman is selling her seaside apartment after Welsh Labour’s crackdown on second homes saw her council tax bill almost treble to £4,532. 

The 63-year-old vocal Labour supporter bought the two-bedroom flat in Solva, Pembrokeshire, for £350,000 in 2019 and once said she wanted her funeral to be held in the coastal village.

But just months after Pembrokeshire Council implemented a 200pc council tax premium on second home owners in April, she has put the property on the market for £450,000.

Ms Vorderman previously insisted she “fully approves” of tax hikes on second home owners, claiming the policy had “put a lid” on price rises in the area.

The sale comes amid speculation that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could increase rates of capital gains tax (CGT) at the Budget on October 30. If Ms Vorderman completes the transaction ahead of this, she stands to save as much as £16,000 on her potential £100,000 profit.

The former Countdown star is part of an exodus of second home owners from Wales, after councils were granted the power to impose extra levies on those with holiday properties. 

The flat, which is advertised as being in the council tax band D, saw its bill jump from £1,638 when she bought it to £4,532 this year, The Telegraph understands. The local authority had already doubled tax on second homes for 2022-2023 meaning she paid £2,685 last year.

After first purchasing the property in 2019, she posted 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 also told her followers she wanted her funeral to be held in the area, with her body “lowered from a helicopter on to a funeral pyre on a Viking raft going down Solva harbour”.

But Ms Vorderman confirmed she was selling the home on her LBC radio show in August, telling a caller that she wasn’t there “often enough”. 

The radio personality, who has two adult children, added the reason she had a second home was to store her belongings and because staying in hotels with her family was expensive.

She said: “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.”

Estate agents Country Living Group said the leasehold flat boasted its “direct views out to sea are wonderful whatever the season”.

It features an open-plan kitchen and living room leading to a balcony, and two bedrooms with sea views.

The online listing says that the flat has been sold, subject to conditions. Representatives for Ms Vorderman denied it had been sold.

Selling now could save the star thousands of pounds in CGT – a levy paid on the profits a property investor makes from a second home or buy-to-let residence.

The current rate of CGT is 18pc for basic rate taxpayers and 24pc for higher rate taxpayers. However, there are rumblings the Chancellor could increase these bands to 20pc and 40pc respectively – in line with income tax bands. Sellers are also entitled to a £3,000 tax-free allowance.

At today’s rate, Ms Vorderman would pay around £23,000 on her prospective £100,000 profit.

But if it were to increase to 40pc, she would pay as much as £39,000. It means she could save an estimated £16,000 if the sale goes through ahead of the Budget.

The number of holiday homes for sale in Pembrokeshire trebled following the council’s decision to increase council tax by 200pc in April. 

In July, there were 135 homes for sale, compared to 38 the year before. Owners can avoid the tax for up to a year by putting their homes up for sale. 

Ms Vorderman was a prominent supporter of Labour ahead of this year’s general election but has since criticised the party for its decision to strip winter fuel payments from some 10 million pensioners.

Representatives for Ms Vorderman declined to comment. 

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