By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
A senior Broxtowe councillor unhappy with the extent of changes to the Right to Buy scheme says it should now be abolished completely to better help authorities create more social housing.
Broxtowe Borough Council met on Wednesday (December 11) to discuss progress in key areas.
Councillor Vanessa Smith (Lab), portfolio holder for housing, gave an update on how recent government changes in the Right to Buy scheme would impact the Labour-led authority.
Right to Buy was first established as a key Conservative housing policy by Margaret Thatcher, meaning since October 1980 council house tenants have been able to buy their homes at a discount.
However, council homes have been purchased under Right to Buy at a much faster rate than local authorities have replaced them, meaning there is now a major shortage of social housing across the country.
In October the Labour Government announced a cut in Right to Buy discounts for council tenants looking to buy their homes.
Councils are also now able to keep 100 per cent of their Right-to-Buy receipts, meaning they can keep more of the money they receive from selling homes under the scheme – previously councils could only use 50 per cent.
This means councils can fully reinvest money they earn from sales back into creating more social housing.
But some councillors said the changes won’t help enough and instead the project should be cut completely.
Cllr Smith said: “We’ve already said as an authority that we believe Right to Buy is flawed- we’ve passed motions before that we don’t think it’s right for our tenants.
“Right to Buy gives people a leg up to the housing ladder but then it pulls that ladder up behind those people and doesn’t let other people have that same opportunity because it takes that housing away.
“What we have now is better than nothing.”
The council currently has around 4,500 properties that it manages.
But Cllr Philip Owen (Con) said the scheme was one of the “most popular and successful policies introduced by Margaret Thatcher”.
“[The change] does of course mean that new purchases under the same scheme won’t enjoy the same benefits that the deputy prime minister (Angela Rayner) enjoyed when she bought her council property a few years ago- a case of do as I say not as I do.
“Will [Cllr Smith] join me in welcoming the fact Right to Buy is going to continue or is she going to be like her leader [Cllr Radulovic].”
Cllr Smith responded: “I feel like I have made my position quite clear on a number of occasions- I do not believe Right to Buy is a good scheme and I do believe it should be abolished.
“The current government hasn’t gone far enough and we’ve pushed for that and we will continue to pull for that.”
Speaking earlier in the meeting, Leader of the Council, Milan Radulovic (Lab) said that the council, for a second year in a row, had added more to its housing stock than what had been bought by tenants through the scheme.
The council still has a housing waiting list of around 1,400 people.
Cllr Steve Carr (Ind) asked the leader if he thought the scheme should be “completely rescinded”.
Cllr Radulovic responded that “the legislation was fundamentally flawed from the outset”.
In response, a Government spokesperson referred to a statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner, made in November.
She said: “For millions of people in the position I was once in, that first step into the secure social housing that changed my life has become a distant dream.
“Too many social homes have been sold off before they can be replaced, which has directly contributed to the worst housing crisis in living memory.
“We cannot fix the crisis without addressing this issue – it’s like trying to fill a bath when the plug’s not in.
“A fairer Right to Buy will help councils protect and increase their housing stock, while also keeping the pathway to home ownership there for those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to get on the housing ladder.”
