SECOND home owners and those with empty properties could be hit as Bournemouth Council aims to make up a £500,000 council tax shortfall.

It has shunned a government grant designed to support a new council tax support scheme, saying it will leave the authority worse off.

The scheme is being introduced because the government has cut council tax benefit funding to local authorities by 10 per cent from 2013/14 and will require them to deliver a new system of council tax benefit locally from April.

It will mean that many people of working age are likely to receive no more than 80 per cent council tax benefit, while ensuring that pensioners and the most vulnerable continue to be exempt from paying any council tax. But in the first year the government wants people to receive no less than 91.5 per cent benefit, hence the subsidy offer.

The council says it would have received £384,000 to meet the 91.5 per cent council tax support level, but to do that would cost £898,000 – a funding gap of £514,000, which would have to be funded by the authority.

The council’s cabinet has decided to go it alone.

It will introduce its own scheme and is considering making up the shortfall by charging second home owners full council tax, introducing a 50 per cent charge for empty homes, and bringing in a 150 per cent charge for properties that are empty for more than two years.

Cllr John Beesley, council leader, said: “To help mitigate that, consideration is now being given on how the council might fund and operate a local welfare assistance fund from April 2013, to best support the most vulnerable in our community as a result of the welfare reform changes and the impact they may have on people.”

Speaking at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Labour councillor Dennis Gritt added: “This is going to hit a lot of people very hard, so I ask that this is publicised before it hits them so they can do something about it.”