Peter Robinson looked at the sea and shook his head. “It’s not on. They don’t need any more money.”
The “them” in question are the thousands of second home owners who have converged on Whitstable in recent years. According to the 68-year-old, 40% of all homes on Albert Street, where he has lived for two decades, are now second homes.
And Rishi Sunak’s latest intervention to help the nation pay its energy bills (£ 400 per household) means the expanding cohort of Whitstable second home owners will be rewarded with a double discount, one for every home.
In the coastal city of Kent, this generosity has baffled many, especially those with a single home. “The house next door to me has been sold to a wealthy developer to turn it into a holiday home. The same is true,” said Robinson, a retired council worker.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces the rebate for homeowners in the House of Commons. Photo: Jessica Taylor / Reuters
Over the Whitstable boardwalk, retired professor Sarah Houseman similarly lamented the chancellor’s generosity. “It would seem unfair to give more money to these people,” the 65-year-old said. Houseman noted that the adjoining three-bed townhouses were rented to tourists for between £ 700 and £ 800 over the weekend. “And they have no problem getting it. These people don’t need extra help.”
Like many in the city, he heard Sunak’s announcement be released last Thursday to allay the outrage that followed Sue Gray’s Partygate report. “It is not fair to use this [the energy crisis] to save his political skin, “he said.
Outside the Sea Farmer’s Dive pub, electrician Max Legett was convinced that Sunak’s initiative would be modified to prevent him from rewarding the rich. “There will be a commotion if it is not changed.”
Whitstable residents call the owners of second homes DFL – Down From London, a reference to the fact that many of the owners of second homes live in the capital. It is a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
A recent national survey listing the most popular places for second homes included Whitstable as the only city in the South East, the rest was mainly in Cornwall.
Legett was in the DFL once, arriving from south-east London 16 years ago. He is now described as a native, concerned about what has happened in the south-west of England. “So far, the character has not changed in the same way as Cornwall.”
For another long-term Whitstable resident, the fact that second home owners had an extra benefit was received with resignation. John Baker admitted he had stopped worrying about who was buying what in his adopted city. The 70-year-old man said that dealing with a broken Achilles tendon and a brain tumor diagnosed in 2017 had made him philosophical. “Some have not, but the reality is that some of these second home owners have worked very hard for them.”
Further down a street called Sea Wall, one of those second home owners, who asked to remain anonymous, acknowledged that Sunak’s delivery to the 772,000 two-story homes was annoying.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous, it’s impossible to justify. This money should be given to those most in need, “he said, adding that he made donations to local charities and helped at a food bank to raise awareness.
She said: “By the way, I won’t keep the extra £ 400.”