Shapps slams Right to Buy rumours
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Housing minister Grant Shapps has denied that he plans to scrap the Right to Buy scheme, after reports suggested the government was reviewing it.
The Guardian reports today that the government has begun a review of the scheme for council house tenants as it reaches out to Liberal Democrat backbenches ahead of its conference.
It says the Lib Dems have been told Shapps is looking for ways to increase the housing stock available to those on the waiting list.
It suggests that for the Lib Dems Right to Buy removes thousands of houses from circulating and prevents councils from being able to allocate homes to those on the lists.
But Shapps tweeted on his Twitter page this morning: “A simple call or email to check the facts would have told The Guardian that this story is completely untrue.”
A spokesman for Communities and Local Government, says: “We have absolutely no plans to change the Right to Buy scheme, and it is not under review.
“Since its launch in the early 1980s, the Right to Buy Scheme has helped thousands of people into home ownership and has helped create mixed communities.”
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Readers' comments (2)
Anonymous | 17 Sep 2010 10:33 am
Maybe they will retain it, but you have the right-to-buy at the market price, as opposed to a hefty discount, for which you can only get a mortgage based on "equity" provided by the discount, with benefits being included in the affordability calculation. Nice.
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Anonymous | 17 Sep 2010 10:47 am
An inaccurate comment by the Guardian? Surely not! (Enough said I think!)
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