Right to buy social housing plans announced: WHC responds

Council tenants have had the right to buy their home, at a discount, for more than 40 years.

Locally, only people who were living in council homes at the time when they were transferred by the then Wycombe District Council to the newly formed Red Kite Housing Association, or from Chiltern or South Bucks Councils to Paradigm Housing still have this right.

The thousands of people who have moved into housing associations properties in the south of Buckinghamshire ever since don't have a right to buy them.

For people who are able to make use of the right to buy, we're sure it feels like a good thing and we're perfectly happy for them.

The reason why we're concerned about the latest plans to extend right to buy to housing association properties is that, if this scheme is anything like the right to buy scheme for council housing, is that it may well lead to less social or affordable housing being available from housing associations in our area.

This is because hardly any homes which have been sold under the council houses scheme have been replaced.

Even more concerning, data suggests that around 40% of those sold off end up being rented out privately instead. Now that really doesn't make sense!

Private renting is not a suitable option for many people. People who struggle to afford market rents and those who sometimes need the kinds of help a housing association can offer to help them keep on top of things, may get into difficulties if they're left having to try to rent privately.

This causes people to end up at risk of homelessness.

At Wycombe Homeless Connection, we want to see suitable, affordable, secure housing for everyone in our area.

As this policy looks like it might result in the opposite then we have to say that we're not in favour of it.

It also raises difficult questions about the status of housing associations which are charities who are independent of the government. It's somewhat surprising to hear the government announce that they will be forced to sell off some of their most important assets.

Are our local housing associations really independent charities which exist to provide affordable housing to people in our communities who need it, or are they not? That will now have to be cleared up too and it's not the first time this question has been raised.