Gwynedd second homes £465k crackdown 'mess' should be apologised for

A council must apologise "profusely" over a failed crackdown on second homes which cost taxpayers £465k, a councillor has said. Cyngor Gwynedd was the first council to introduce a requirement for planning permission to turn a property into a second home or holiday let, but this was quashed by the High Court. Known as Article 4, judges ruled flawed and incomplete information had been presented to councillors when they approved the policy. Gruffydd Williams said: "The council should apologise profusely... for the losses they have caused by presenting defective papers to the cabinet." The council said it was "disappointed" with the court's decision but still backed the reasons for Article 4. The council attempted to appeal the ruling, but was refused. Williams supports the measures, but said: "The council should apologise profusely to the county's taxpayers for the losses they have caused by presenting defective papers to the cabinet. "We also need to know what disciplinary steps have been taken, to bring this whole mess to an end." Gwynedd has the highest concentration of second homes in Wales, and the council said stronger controls were needed to protect Welsh‑speaking communities a