Right-to-buy scheme ‘a mess’ claims Leeds council leader

The scheme, introduced by the government in 1980, was designed to help council tenants become homeowners by allowing them to buy their homes with low-cost mortgages.

However, Coun Judith Blake has now claimed this has led to many former council properties being owned by private landlords, who charge higher rents than local authorities.

The comments come as Leeds’s council house waiting list currently sits at more than 33,000.

Coun Blake added that the authority planned to build 1,500 new council houses over the next five years.

She said: “This is one of the largest council house building programmes in the country today. But we have one hand tied behind our back.

“Many former council homes are now owned by private landlords. Higher rents are charged by landlords for their tenants than for council tenants next door. This means higher amounts of housing benefits find their way into the pockets of landlords and put pressure on the taxpayer.

“Right to buy is a mess and it needs to be reformed.”

Leader of the Morley Borough Independents group, Coun Robert Finnigan added: “Right to Buy legislation needs to be abandoned. Properties are being purchased for speculative gains. We end up paying exorbitant levels of housing benefit to private landlords who are the main beneficiaries of right to buy legislation.”

Last year it was estimated that around 600 houses a year continue to be snapped up by council tenants under the legislation – with only 300 new homes being built annually by the local authority.