This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
In his address to the House of Lords today, Lord Kerslake is widely expected to show his displeasure towards the extension of the Right to Buy scheme. It was confirmed in last week Queen’s Speech that the scheme is to be extended to 1.3 million housing association tenants.
Nonsensical
One of the UK’s rural housing policy experts also believes that the planned extension of the scheme is largely nonsensical. Additionally, Professor Mark Shucksmith, Director of the Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal, feels that the plan will be ultimately disastrous for those living in rural areas.
Professor Shucksmith said that, ‘there is already a shortage of affordable housing, especially in rural areas where there is little social housing. Rural house prices are on average 26% higher than in urban areas and the ratio of house prices to local earnings is even worse.’ He went on to say that, ‘disposing of housing association stock, at great cost to the taxpayer, will make the impact on rural communities much more serious.’[1]
Continuing, Shucksmith stated that, ‘we are already seeing those on low and medium incomes and especially young people, priced out of small towns and villages across the UK. With housing association properties sold off and unlikely to be replaced in any substantial quantities, the wealth divide in rural communities will deepen even further.’[1]
Right to Buy extension slammed
Detrimental to local employers
Alongside arguing that the forced sale of housing association properties will affect the demographic make-up of rural communities, Professor Shucksmith also feels that the knock-on effect for employers will also be detrimental. He notes that, ‘in it’s Rural Policy Statement in 2012, the Government recognised the social and economic importance if affordable rural housing. With rural areas becoming increasingly socially exclusive, local businesses-from farms and shops to accountants and software developers-will find it even harder to attract the young, skilled ambitious people they need.’[1]
Concluding, Shucksmith said that, ‘we urgently need more affordable homes to be built, not the disposal of the few that remain in rural areas..’ He feels that the Government should, ‘reconsider the Right to Buy extension and instead implement the recent recommendations made by the Rural Housing Policy Review group, to provide more affordable rural housing.’[1]
[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/will-right-to-buy-housing-policy-be-disastrous-for-rural-communities.html
