Stockport council calls for Right to Buy suspension after losing half of social homes

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Stockport council has joined calls to suspend the Right to Buy scheme after losing nearly half of its social housing since the 1980s.

A report by the town hall stated that it has been 'forced' to sell more than 300 council properties over the last six years alone, with the rising cost of private accommodation adding 'continued pressure' to its housing register.

The council's housing chief, Coun Colin MacAlister, said in the current climate it makes "no sense" to build more social homes when they become available to buy with up to a 70 percent discount - around £102,400. READ MORE: The stark reality facing women and girls born in the North He told the Manchester Evening News: "The Liberal Democrat Party’s national policy is very clear, local authorities should have the right to suspend the right to buy.

This is a national crisis compounded by the Right to Buy which can only be solved by massive government investment. "Under the previous government local authorities were starved of the resources they need to build more social housing and, so far, the new Labour government seems to be continuing the trend." The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said they are "working at pace to reverse the continued decline in the number of social rent homes." A spokesperson added: "The government has already given councils more flexibility to use Right to Buy receipts to deliver more social housing, on top of an additional £450 million for councils to secure homes for families at risk of homelessness. "We have made clear we will give councils and housing associations the stability they need and will set out further details at the next spending review." The Stockport council report states that the borough has above