14.10.13
Right to Buy ‘boosting housebuilding’ – Cameron
Right to Buy has helped over 10,000 people to buy their own home, Government figures show.
In the year to April 2013, the scheme saw 8,398 council and housing association tenants to take up the sale. In the first quarter of this year, 2,149 tenants did so.
The receipts from additional sales are being used to develop new affordable homes for rent, the Government said. Work has already started in Barking, Bassetlaw, Leicester and Wigan councils.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “The success of Right to Buy shows how the new reinvigorated scheme is opening up the prospect of home ownership to even more people across the country.
“With over 10,000 people taking up the opportunity to buy their council home this year, the demand to make that step onto the housing ladder is clear.
“What is more, we’re ploughing the additional money from Right to Buy sales straight back into building more affordable homes.”
Housing minister Kris Hopkins said: “For years the Right to Buy was allowed to wither on the vine, with ever-decreasing discounts leaving the prospect of home ownership out of reach for far too many social tenants.
“And because we’ve committed to using the additional money raised towards funding new affordable homes for rent, we’re also getting Britain building and will soon have the fastest rate of affordable housebuilding for two decades.”
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