Brighton and Hove seeks amendment to Right to Buy scheme

Brighton and Hove Council has called for the housing ‘Right to Buy’ scheme to come to an end, brighton-hove.gov.uk reports.

Under the scheme, council housing tenants can buy the house they live in, with the money going toward building more local authority housing in the area. Brighton and Hove’s minority Green administration has criticised the scheme though and called for a different regime to be implemented.

Instead of the current Right to Buy scheme, councillors have called for greater investment in new build housing and schemes to help people afford to get onto the property ladder. If given the green light, the proposals could see more council housing tenants seeking private estate agents in Brighton and Hove in order to buy their next property.

In Brighton alone, nearly 6,000 ex-council homes have been sold to the tenants in the past 30 years. Often, the houses are sold for less than their market value; with tenants often entitled to a Right to Buy discount entitlement.

Speaking to theargus.co.uk about the proposals, council leader Bill Randall explained: “We are extremely sceptical about government promises to reinvest the money raised from Right to Buy sales in new council homes.

“A similar promise was made in the 1980s but never kept. The council will continue, however, to support the development of new-build home ownership options, including shared ownership, to meet tenant and resident aspirations to become home-owners.”