A Cheshire East councillor has sought assurance residents will not be charged extra council tax on a second home while they are waiting for legalities to be sorted following a death in the family.

The council is due to apply the premium to all properties classed as second homes from April next year.

For council tax purposes, second homes are properties that are furnished but where no-one lives as their main residence.

But Willaston and Rope ward councillor Allen Gage (Con) said, while he understands why the extra charge is being introduced, it could have a detrimental impact on some families.

"If there's been a death in the family it can take sometimes up to 12 months for a property to be released," he said, at the recent meeting of the full council.

"Then, with market conditions, it could, say, take nine to 12 months to sell a property.

"This could leave a family with no disposable income, in a situation where they pay double council tax on a house that they do not wish to use themselves, one that they wish to sell.

"But in that momentary period, due to a death in the family, they could be paying double for up to two years on a property.

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"I'm just looking for an assurance from the administration that that's an anomaly that we will not look to charge on."

Cllr Mark Goldsmith (Wilmslow, Ind) said his family had recent experience of this following a relative's death in another part of the country.

"In that case, I think all council tax was exempt until nine months after probate had taken place, so I don't see why we wouldn't adopt a similar sort of process to that as well," he said.