Oxford city councillors have agreed to scrap council tax discounts for owners of second homes.

They are following the lead of other district councils in the county, led by West Oxfordshire, to take advantage of new legislation.

A 50 per cent discount for owners of second homes is being reduced to 10 per cent, while the discount for owners of empty homes is being removed altogether.

At January 19's city council meeting, leader Alex Hollingworth, said that there were fewer second home owners in the city than in rural areas of the county but he was happy to support other councils.

He added: "We do not have a great problem with this in Oxford, but it will start to tackle the problem of empty homes in the city."

From April, the move will create additional income of £139,000 for the council.

Mr Hollingsworth added that residents in the city could expect a four per cent increase in council tax from April, about 17p a week. This is a provisional figure and will not be finalised until February.

The city council's demands will then be added to the county council element of the bill, together with parish council demands and Thames Valley Police Authority.

West Oxfordshire, which includes part of the Cotswolds, was the first district council in Oxfordshire to scrap the discount for second homes.

The move there will affect 950 homes -- one in 41 of the area's 39,000 residential properties .

It will also bring in an extra £500,000 in council tax. Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are also considering a similar move.

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