article: Second homeowners face being hit with double rates of council tax under Lib Dem plans to protect rural life. Nick Clegg said wealthy people with holiday homes would not mind having to 'chip in a bit' to protect services in areas where as many as one in 10 homes are vacant for much of the year. The well-off buying up homes in tourist hotspots has also driven up property values, leaving local people priced out of the areas where they grew up. Nick Clegg - steps off a fishing boat as he visits Newlyn Harbour, near Penzance, Cornwall today - said wealthy people with holiday homes would not mind having to 'chip in a bit' to protect services in areas where as many as one in 10 homes are vacant for much of the year . Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg holds a cod at the Newlyn Fish Market in Cornwall this morning after unveiling his plan to save popular rural areas from the blight of second home owners . Under the Lib Dem plan, launched in Cornwall today, local authorities would have the power to charge 200 per cent council tax. The levy would be used in part to deter people from buying holiday homes in the first place, but the money generated could be used to support schools, post officers and other services which can become unviable without sufficient permanent residents. The double council tax would not be compulsory, but councils in areas like Cumbria, Cornwall and Devon have said they would be interested in the idea to 'discourage' second home ownership. On a campaign visit in St Austell, Cornwall, Mr Clegg said the move could help 'particularly in such a wonderful part of the country as this where there are so many people with second homes and where the prices because of that are way beyond the reach of many young people wanting to get their feet on the first rung of the property ladder'. The Lib Dem leader even claimed second home-owners would 'like to chip in a bit extra' to fund the communities in which they they spend their holidays. Mr Clegg, who visited Newlyn fish market and harbour with St Ives candidate Andrew George as he launched his countryside charter, told ITV News: 'It is giving councils the freedom to raise a bit of money from those who holiday in a community but don't live in a community all year round so that local public services can be properly supported for those people who do live in their community all year round. 'That seems to me to be fair and, I have to say to you, I suspect people who own second homes here - many of whom have significant means - would like to chip in a bit extra so that they know that, even though they are not living in a community all the time, they are nonetheless supporting the local services that local people do rely upon.' Under the Lib Dem plan, launched in Cornwall today, local authorities would have the power to charge 200 per cent council tax . The Deputy PM and Lib Dem MP Andrew George pose for a photograph at Newlyn Harbour  near Penzance . Mr Clegg, who has been warned his party faces near-wipeout in its Westcountry stronghold, said he wants to 'play on the conscience' of second homeowners. He said they needed to realise that local people were being priced out of the property market and it was not in their interest for the rural community to 'wither on the vine'. He told reporters that the levy was not aimed at stopping people buying a holiday property. Mr Clegg (right) holds a fish with Newlyn Fish Market manager Lionel Washer (left)  and Harbour Master Rob Parsons (centre) during a visit in Cornwall today . 'What would a fancy second home in Cornwall, what would they pay in council tax, maybe a thousand quid, £1,500? 'I think if that is increased to £2,000 or a bit more, is that going to stop them buying it in the first place? I doubt it. 'Of course I believe in and want to protect people's freedoms to buy holiday homes and second homes. What I want to do is make sure it's a fair deal for those communities where those second homes are located.' He added that many people who had second homes in Cornwall were 'acutely aware that there is this big, burning local issue about the availability of housing for local youngsters'. The measure forms part of a 'countryside charter' being launched by the Lib Dems, with Mr Clegg claiming his party will create 300,000 new jobs in rural areas if it is in government after the General Election on May 7. Mr Clegg promised to 'close the gap' between urban and rural areas in the provision of high speed broadband, ensuring 99.9% of households are covered. Other measures include help for farming, strengthening the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to ensure farmers are paid fairly, publishing a national food strategy, and developing an animal disease strategy to lessen the risks and costs of animal disease. The party says it will also take action to protect rural post offices and other essential services from closure, prioritise rural housing and boost tourism by introducing a 'fuller' right to roam.
highlights: Lib Dems launch plan for 200% levy on holiday homes in tourist hot spots .
  Clegg insists wealthy tourists should 'chip in' to support communities .
  Ten per cent of homes in parts of Cornwall are only used for holidays .
  Local young people priced out and services struggle to survive .
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