The Government has unveiled sweeping changes to the right-to-buy scheme that will significantly reduce discounts for council tenants, in what ministers say is a bid to protect social housing stock and prioritise long-term renters.
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Under the proposed reforms, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, discounts for tenants wishing to purchase their council homes will be slashed to between five and 15 per cent—substantially lower than the current 35 per cent threshold.
In addition, the minimum tenancy period required to qualify for the scheme will rise from three years to 10. Individuals who have already taken advantage of the right-to-buy programme will no longer be eligible to apply again. Furthermore, newly built council homes will be exempt from the scheme for 35 years.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition, with Kevin Hollinrake, Shadow Housing Secretary, accusing Ms Rayner of “hypocrisy” and launching “an attack on aspiration.” He highlighted that Ms Rayner herself benefitted from the policy in 2007, purchasing her former council home in Stockport for £79,000 after receiving a 25 per cent discount, before selling it for a profit of £48,500. Mr Hollinrake remarked: “This is nothing short of an attack on aspiration. Labour is turning its back on the very families who work hard and want a stake in their future.”
He added: “Right to buy has helped millions take their first step onto the housing ladder. Now, this Government is making it harder than ever to own a home. The hypocrisy is staggering—Angela Rayner has personally benefitted from right to buy, yet under her watch, that opportunity is being stripped away from others.”
The right-to-buy initiative was famously introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1979 and became a flagship policy of her administration, credited with helping a generation of working-class Britons onto the property ladder. Labour, however, argues that the scheme has depleted the UK’s stock of social housing. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to overhaul it, citing its long-term impact on the availability of affordable homes.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the updated eligibility criteria would allow councils to reinvest in housing and ensure that those benefitting from the scheme are long-term tenants who have made consistent rent contributions.
The reforms will also block access to the scheme for current property owners and those who previously benefitted from it, except in “exceptional circumstances”, such as survivors of domestic abuse. New-build social and affordable homes will be protected from sale under right to buy for 35 years—significantly longer than the 10 to 20-year periods previously floated in consultations—allowing councils more time to recover construction costs and maintain affordable housing supply.
Labour has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of this Parliament, with a significant portion designated as social and affordable housing. The party insists that the proposed right-to-buy restrictions are essential to protecting those future investments and ensuring they remain available to those most in need.
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Ms Rayner has yet to respond directly to the accusations of hypocrisy, but government sources say the reforms are essential for addressing the chronic shortage of social housing and restoring fairness to the system.
