in thinking the goverment should have never sold off council houses?

[gingertabby]

there is just not nough to go round.
fair enough if they rebuilt them, but they don't, well certainly not enough.

[MsHighwater]

Some tenants buy their council house and live to regret it.

I met one couple who bought their house while they were on the transfer list to be rehoused because of his disability. Not unnaturally, the local housing office took it that they no longer wanted to move. Not so. They had been approached by a company promising assistance to tenants wanting to buy and had been persuaded that it would be a good idea to buy so that they could pass it on to their grown-up family. They still wanted, actually they needed, to move to a more suitable house. Once they'd got that sorted out, they were dismayed to find that they had dropped a long way down the waiting list because they no longer had additional points that a long tenancy had previously earned them. They felt aggrieved that no-one had pointed this out to them although it wasn't up to any of the people they dealt with to do that.

On the whole, I think it has proved to be a bad policy. There is an assumption that the cost of providing and managing social housing will reduce as the number of houses reduces and, of course, it does to an extent but actually all the best houses i.e. those kept in best repair by their tenants, have been sold off leaving a higher proportion of properties in poorer repair and also of the more "challenging" tenants. It screws up the thinking about making alterations to properties for disabled tenants, too. My local authority recently spent a large sum on adapting a property for a disabled tenant. They have already enquired about buying and because of how the discount is worked out, the investment will never be recouped if the sale goes ahead.

[nooOOOoonki]

Expat - though I agree, I also have a huge problem with people that have bought to let.

Though I HATE the tories I can't believe that a labour gov has been in for 10 years and not done a thing to rectify the problem, in fact they are just selling off ALL council stock, great.

[dilemma456]

Message withdrawn

[witcheseve]

Most of our council house stock was sold. They had to build over the designated boundary to meet demand. There is a restriction on resales 'local occupancy' so at least they are not bought as holiday homes or rented out on the holiday let market, A lot are now rented privately to residents, polish worker etc .

[SqueakyPop]

Not sure about that one. I very much doubt it, otherwise the demand for private housing would have been much higher.

[Earlybird]

But is there still the same stigma? Recently saw a statistic that 1 in 10 now live in some sort of subsidised/discounted housing.

[expatinscotland]

'But stigmatism about council housing was there in the 1970s before they were sold off.'

But back then it was also possible to buy a home of your own on an average wage.

[forevercleaningwithmybesoms]

they can tell it is ex council, because the first thing that is changed is the front door!

They may have made fairly hefty profits but I suppose people were wiling to pay that price to still be living on a council estate, but that was their choice.

[SqueakyPop]

But stigmatism about council housing was there in the 1970s before they were sold off.

[expatinscotland]

'I don't see how selling off council housing is divisive.'

Because a slender few made a huge profit with the taxpayer subsidising their council house purchase at a massive discount.

An opportunity that was extended to a very few which a) everyone paid for b) inflated prices even further so even fewer could afford to a buy a home, council or not, or even secure a protected tenancy on a rented home.

Hence, why I'd never buy an ex-council home off someone who bought it as a council tenant. They're already gotten a big break on my dime.

[policywonk]

In that John Harris article I linked to below, he also points out that the policy has had the effect of ghetto-ising social housing and stigmatising those who do use it. (You've only got to see some of the thread on here to see that happening.)

[SqueakyPop]

I don't see how selling off council housing is divisive.

Before, if you lived on an estate, people would know you were a council tenant.

Now, with council houses intermingled with owned, no one can tell.

[Tiggiwinkle]

What a shame that was never implemented earlybird! It infuriates me too that people made such a gain at the cost of affordable housing for others.

[Earlybird]

I object hugely to people buying council houses/flats at a massive discount and then reaping a massive profit when they sold the houses/flats on. Maybe a significant % of any profit from an 'open market' sale should have gone back to the council?

[Tiggiwinkle]

But they were sold at ridiculous prices-the money raised was not enough to replace the stock. That was never part of Thatcher's plan...

[forevercleaningwithmybesoms]

I think it was a good idea BUT only if they replaced those with new ones with the money made from the sale.

I would think a great many people have been lucky enough to be able to now own their own homes which they otherwise could not have. I mean with the discount they had. Those people will probably tell you they are glad they had the opportunity.

It has, unfortunately had a knock on effect in that there is now not enought housing to go round. Each one sold should have been replaced IMO and then everyone would have been happier about it.

[NannyNanny]

I think that private housing should be cheaper. Giving everyone a chance to live somewhere they choose. It seems crazy that you can work your arse off but still not be able to afford to pay a mortgage. I hate 'property'.

[Tiggiwinkle]

It was one of the worst policies ever. Has devastated housing stock. People bought at rock bottom prices and have made huge profits...and now there is no decent housing stock left for those in need. A stupid, stupid policy.

[expatinscotland]

it's a done deal now.

some people made huge profits off the sale of their former council home on the open market, and millions more wound up with completely unaffordable housing.

a fox could have sussed that out.

[policywonk]

Interesting article (by Jorn Harris) about this here.

'When councils sold properties - at discounts of up to 50% - they were legally obliged to use the money to pay off debt rather than to build replacement homes. The results of such restrictions were not hard to predict: as Shelter had forecast in 1979, the supply of what we now call social housing fell way behind demand, and we ended up where we are today: according to official figures, four million people are waiting for either a council or housing association home, and the number is expected to rise to five million by 2010.'

[Tortington]

im not sure i think it was a good idea only if there was the equivalent build in mixed communities

[beaniescreamyb]

they should have never!

[zeee]

I agree totally - we need masses more social housing, it should be an option for everyone who wants it.

[expatinscotland]

many councils have ended right to buy for all new tenants and put moratoriums on it for existing ones.