Will right to buy help solve the housing crisis?

I CAN’T believe right-to-buy is being promoted again. When Margaret Thatcher came up with this idea, it seemed like a good thing to do, but it soon proved it was anything but.

We lost thousands of council houses and the money raised did not appear to go into building much-needed replacement social houses. Please don’t make this mistake again.

J. LITTLEY, Chislehurst, Gtr London. IS TheRe nothing the Government won’t do to buy votes? Offering the right-to-buy to people on benefits sounds generous, but how will it be financed? Will the Government provide mortgages out of our taxes? If they are not repaid, will this end up in costly court cases or be written off?

JANET MARSHALL, Gosforth, Cumbria. ONCE the criteria for getting a mortgage was to be in full-time employment, to earn enough to be able to repay the loan and to have saved a deposit. Now benefits can count as income.

D. M. DEAMER, York. IT’S all very well proposing a right to buy to tenants on benefits at rates below the market value. however, the people who really need help to get on to the property ladder are those renting from private landlords — often their rent is a lot higher than mortgage repayment rates.

R. TRENHoLME, Worcester Park, Surrey. BORIS has decided to give those on benefits the right to buy their council or housing association property. What about people who work hard for a living, don’t get benefits and are living with their parents while trying to save a house deposit?

PETER BELCHER, Barton-le-Clay, Beds. I FeAR tenants on benefits being offered a package to buy a house is a spin on sub prime mortgages. A disaster in the making.

JoHN EVANS, Wokingham, Berks.