And the award for zero self-awareness goes to second-home owners raging about higher taxes | Gaby Hinsliff

English councils gain the power to double council tax on second homes this week .

A little weekend bolthole by the sea is, of course, the dream for many but therein lies the clue.

It’s a luxury, a nice-to-have, a signifier of good fortune and plenty in a world of scarcity.

Dorset council is struggling with a hefty social care bill and could very much do with the 8 m.

Hampshire has both 7,000-odd second -homers in the New Forest and a 312 m deficit in its budget for the education of children with special needs.

Dorset is a magnet for weekenders and retirees drawn to sleepy rural towns.