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Right to buy scheme faces uphill climb

Friday, 7 October 2011 3:11 PM

The number of council homes sold under the right to buy scheme has fallen by 97 per cent in just under a decade.

Shelter's new housing databank shows that fewer than 2,300 homes in England were sold through the scheme in 2009/10, compared to almost 70,000 in 2003/2004.

David Cameron has pledged a "Tory housing revolution" spurred by the right to buy scheme, however these figures show the scale of the challenge facing him.

The prime minister has made a commitment to build a new home for every one sold under the scheme and is pushing for 100,000 prospective new buyers to come forward.

The news has been welcomed by Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb, who described the need for new homes as "critical".

New thinking to tackle the lack of "decent, affordable homes" is positive said Robb, but warned that any proposals must actually deliver at significant levels to make a real difference.

He continued: "We must ensure the one-for-one commitment to replace right-to-buy homes by building new homes is met, otherwise it will do more harm than good.

"It is also important to recognise that the new right to buy scheme is a small measure and will only benefit a limited number of people. On its own, it will not deliver the quantity of new homes that we need to meet the growing need.

"The government's new housing strategy now needs to set out a long term sustainable plan to end the squeeze on families who can't find a decent affordable home."

The right to buy scheme has experienced a significant drop in uptake over the last two years hovering around the 2,000 mark, but in 2007/2008 over 10,000 people made use of the scheme.

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