Council tax increase for clifftop cottage marked for demolition

The proprietors of a holiday cottage situated on a clifftop have announced that their council tax payment is scheduled to double in the coming year, despite the property being designated for demolition. This Skipsea residence is categorized as an unoccupied second home, and regulations from East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) stipulate a higher charge for owners unless the dwelling is occupied or leased. Deborah Hawksley stated that renting out the cottage is not possible because the council had previously informed them the structure was unsafe and required demolition. East Riding of Yorkshire Council chose not to comment specifically on the Hawksley family’s situation, but affirmed its commitment to “working with communities at risk to explore how we can better support them to adapt to coastal erosion.” The Hawksley family has possessed their coastal land since the 1930s. They constructed ‘October Cottage’ after an earlier holiday residence on the identical plot approached too near the cliff’s edge. Ms Hawksley indicated that her 90-year-old mother, who owns the property, might soon be liable for a council tax charge of approximately £280 each month. She remarked: “We are in a real catch-22 position. We can’t sell the place, we can’t rent it out, but they [East Riding Council] also insist that we will pay double council tax from April of next year. And that seems incredibly unfair.” In 2021, the family entered into an agreement with ERYC, stipulating that the cottage will be demolished, at no cost to the owner, once its distance from the eroding cliff edge falls below 9.3m (30ft). Ms Hawksley stated, “I don’t like to measure it too often because it’s too distressing. I believe we are just under 10m from the edge at present.” Approximately a dozen properties are located on Green Lane in Skipsea, positioned at different distances from the cliff’s edge; however, all are experiencing the loss of their gardens to the sea. These clifftop residences were formerly accessible by a coastal road, but within the past two decades, it has eroded into the sea, taking with it fences, water pipes, sewage systems, and telephone lines. Ms Hawksley commented that the community faces a distinct circumstance regarding council tax, as they receive “no services.” She explained: “My mother pays one hundred and forty six pounds a month, every month for twelve months of the year. And that’s going to double. There’s no street lighting. There is no bin collection for us. So we receive nothing.” Scientists report that the Holderness coastline, spanning from Skipsea to Kilnsea, is among Europe’s most rapidly eroding coastlines due to its ‘soft’ boulder clay composition. A report released on Wednesday by the Environment Agency indicated that the East Yorkshire coast might see the loss of up to 1100 properties by 2025, attributed to climate change accelerating this process. In regions where constructing or maintaining coastal defenses is not feasible, ERYC provides assistance through its ‘Coastal Change Fund’ to aid homeowners with demolition and relocation expenses. An ERYC spokesperson stated that the authority endeavors to “inform households of the level of coastal erosion risk to their property as early as possible.” The spokesperson added, “We are also working with communities to explore how we can better support them to adapt to coastal erosion in the long-term, while taking action to relocate important community assets and infrastructure in the short-term.”