Bid to veto right to buy council homes
PEOPLE will no longer be able to buy their council houses under a change in the rules proposed for Carmarthen- shire.
The Right To Buy was introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980 but now Carmarthenshire councillors have applied to have the scheme suspended in the county.
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The councillors said it was vital to prevent them losing any more council houses from their stock of homes.
They were also hopeful that the rules would be relaxed later this year so the council could start to build its own council houses again.
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Speaking at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, Councillor Giles Morgan said: "At the time, I thought Right To Buy was an excellent thing and, for a lot of people, it has changed their lives.
"Now I think we are in dire need of social housing and I do welcome the suspension.
"I welcome the time we can build our own houses, in partnership, because there is a very great need for it now."
Council chief executive Mark James said councils in England had been given money by the UK Government to build houses and a decision by the Welsh Government was expected later this year.
Council leader Kevin Madge said: "In my 35 years as a councillor, I've not seen a chance to start with building council houses.
"Our forefathers built a lot of houses and we can take that forward now."
Councillor Alan Speake said the problem was people staying in council houses their entire lives. He asked what incentives there were for people to buy their own home.
"I agree 100 per cent with what's been said and we should not be selling any more houses," he added.
The meeting was told that a possible county council mortgage scheme had been held up by legal problems.
3 Comments
by tellyon
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 9:41PM
“Build more.... lots more. We need the homes and the jobs.”
by Neathboy234
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 9:12AM
“Council houses should have never have been sold off in the first place.,”
by weslangdon
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 9:10AM
“"Their" council houses are actually "our" council houses, public assets available to at a fair level of rent for as long as the person needed them.
Thatcher organised the theft of state assets on an unimaginable scale, Gas, BT, British Steel, Electricity, Water, British Aerospace, British Shipbuilders the NCB, BP etc etc. The most despicable though was the illusion of "right to buy", tenants swapped rents for mortgages, spivs followed with double glazing, extensions, new kitchens etc etc. Then came a huge interest rate hike and hey presto large numbers of these now ex council properties fell into the hands of private landlords and the former tenants were repossessed. Homelessness was in a bed and breakfast hotel as the council now hadn't enough council properties to meet demand.
Great move by Carmarthenshire's Housing Department should have come earlier but for gutless Labour politicians in Westminster”