The ITV Wales Election Debate held on Sunday, April 18. Screengrab from debate. The leaders of Wales’ three main parties were quizzed on the issue of second homes during a lively debate on Sunday. An issue which has dominated political debate in rural Wales over recent months, there have long been calls for stricter measures to stem the snapping up of houses from the general market for use as second homes. With second homes said to be making up over 10% of Gwynedd’s housing stock – with fears that this figure is continuing to rise – the Welsh Government permits local authorities to charge up to a 100% premium on the council tax bills of second home owners.