Right to Buy Decreases Affordable Housing

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 10th Jan 2005

Cllr Jean Fooks is raising concerns about the rate Oxfordshire is losing social housing at the County Council meeting tomorrow.

Jean said, "We are not building as many houses as have been sold. Since the Right to Buy was introduced in 1989, nationally 2 million social houses have been sold but only 800,000 built.

"This is a particular problem in the south east in general, and Oxfordshire in particular, where house prices have risen dramatically over the last few years. The attractive discounts available to tenants wishing to buy their homes have exacerbated the loss of social housing. I am therefore asking the Government to allow District Councils in Oxfordshire to set their own discount rates to meet their local situation."