Should council tenants have the right to buy?

AS A former council tenant, I am glad Boris Johnson is planning to revive the right to buy scheme. There is a pleasure of owning your own property. It gives you pride and you can renovate it as you wish. Under Mrs Thatcher, I was able to buy my council maisonette and I am so glad I did.

JATTINDER LYALL, address supplied.

THE right to buy scheme is flawed. Yes, the principle may be commendable, but why sell off what is not then replaced? It is lazy propaganda to blame Labour and Lib Dem councils for frittering away money rather than building social housing. Local government budgets were drastically reduced under Margaret Thatcher, hardly improved under Tony Blair and then cut under Tory austerity. The cost of replacing housing stock was just not achievable.

JONATHAN ARMITT, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts.

I APPLAUD the plan to reintroduce the right to buy for council tenants. However, I would urge the Government to ring-fence the money raised to build more council houses, so future generations have the right to buy, too. Local authorities frittered away the money raised in this way before and must not be allowed to do so again.

EVELYN EVANS, Bath.

I AM a Conservative voter, but I didn’t agree with Mrs Thatcher selling off council houses. I worked for a council in the 1980s and struggled to pay my mortgage, so I was miffed that council houses were being offered to tenants very cheaply. This was only done to get more votes for the Conservative Party. In the past, if you couldn’t afford to buy, you rented; and if you couldn’t afford to rent in the private sector, you put your name on the council list. Unfortunately, there are few council properties left. CHRISTINE HEYDINRYCH, Worthing, W. Sussex.

THE Government scheme to allow occupiers to buy at a discount will result in housing associations reducing or even stopping providing much-needed homes. Thousands of people will lose the chance of having somewhere to live. Housing associations provide a large proportion of affordable homes and these must not be lost.

RICHARD MARTIN, York Housing Association.

IF MRS Thatcher’s sale of low-cost social homes is repeated, private landlords will raise rental prices in the housing shortage that follows. Those on a low wage won’t be able to afford to buy or rent.

DAVE WOOD, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex.