STEPHEN Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, is championing the Government’s Right to Buy scheme after hearing more about the home ownership scheme last week.
Since the 1980s the Right to Buy has helped millions of people living in council housing achieve their aspiration becoming homeowners. It gave something back to families who worked hard, paid their rent and played by the rules. It allowed them to do up their home, change their front door, improve their garden without getting permission from the council.
Conservatives in Government want to build an aspiration nation by backing people who want to get on in life. This is why they have dramatically increased the discount rates available to council tenants who want to own the roof over their head. Tenants will now benefit from a discount of up to £75,000 with any additional homes brought under the scheme leading directly to the provision of new affordable homes for rent.
This has a real impact for people living in South Basildon and East Thurrock with the rise in the discount cap meaning that more council tenants may be able to apply to buy their own home.
The local MP commented: “I would encourage all constituents who may qualify to take advantages of these new discounts. If owning your council house is something that you have dreamed of, then the reinvigorated Right to Buy could help you.”
“If you have any questions, do not hesitate in getting in touch with your local Council who have a legal responsibility to inform tenants about the increased discounts. Alternatively, visit http://righttobuy.communities.gov.uk/ for further information and to see if your are eligible.”
Glad he’s keeping up with the issues of the day. Thank god tenants have someone so on the ball giving them timely information. Is he going to pass on the governments congratulations on the rolyal wedding and the country’s success at the olympics as well.
OK, Mr Metcalfe, let’s have a quick assessment of the situation regarding RTB.
Some people may want to buy their council house/flat but are on such low incomescan’t even afford a drastically reduced mortgage due to low-paid employment or zero-hour contract.
Some people live in such low quality buildings that buying it would constitute a mistake of biblical proportions.
Those affected by the despicable Bedroom Tax already have few options for downsizing and RTB robs them of even more as, judging by the text in the news item above, only additionally purchased properties (ones that I assume have been hoovered up by wealthy property developers) will be replaced with new build affordable homes. It also doesn’t state whether those affordable homes will be council-owned, housing association-owned or private sector owned.
The homes bought under RTB will then enter the property market at full market value driving up house prices locally, harming the chances of first-time buyers of getting a first step on the property ladder.
With no hope of being able to get onto the property ladder, hopeful first-time buyers will be forced into private sector renting because of the lack of social housing properties. Some of those people may be in low-paid employment or on zero-hour contracts which means they will start to claim Housing Benefit, driving up the welfare bill.
Those lucky enough to get a social housing property may have to accept any size they are offered, meaning at least some will be hit by the Bedroom Tax which will, if past experience is anything to go by, force some into personal indebtedness, poverty and even drive some to suicide. Those who don’t commit suicide will become even more dependent on State assistance driving the welfare bill even higher.
I could go on but that would be construed as me trying to bully you. Perish the thought.
Oh well, I suppose you know what you’re doing, don’t you? I mean only an idiot would want to increase the amount of personal indebtedness, poverty and suicides amongst the population they are supposed to serve and protect. Unless, of course, they had something to gain personally from such a situation. A financial interest in a property developer or payday loan company, perhaps?
Overall the right to buy is a good thing. It gives who can afford to a chance to buy their home at a discounted rate. I like policies that help aspirational people who do want to prosper.
The only issue I have with it relates to something Myles has mentioned up post…once that house is bought the council lose another property. If that money is not put back into new council housing then the housing crisis that many councils face will not get any better. In Thurrock we have tons of brownfield sites and places where traditional houses with gardens and parking could be built by the council to house those who work, look after the property and pay their rent on time. With regualar maintainance and decent, house-proud residents small council estates would be lovely places to live.
Bernard87 – I’m not against RTB in principle, I just think that the Government should leave council-run social housing alone and insist that developers build more affordable housing for the housing market.
One of the arguments that came up in the debate over my Bedroom Tax blog was that people in social housing with spare rooms are being subsidised by the taxpayer and that that is wrong but isn’t RTB being subsidised by the taxpayer too? Shouldn’t council-run social housing be sold at full commercial prices to recoup the expenditure used to build them? Anything less is subsidised property purchases, funded by the taxpayer. To add insult to injury, the taxpayers are, in fact, subsidising something that can greatly benefit someone financially as they can sell their property at full market rate and make a nice tidy bundle of cash at the taxpayer’s expense and isn’t that what the public have attacked politicians for doing? You can’t have it both ways.