ANGELA Rayner is gearing up for a housing revolution, promising to double the number of council houses built.
The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to unveil nearly £1 billion in next week’s Budget to kickstart the construction of tens of thousands of new homes.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will be handed a huge cash boost at the Budget[/caption]
But the cash boost is expected to be just the start, with even bigger sums expected in next spring’s multi-year spending review.
Ms Rayner believes council housing is crucial for Labour’s target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.
Her team is arguing more council homes could slash the £9 billion benefit bill and cut the cost of temporary housing that’s crippling council budgets.
As part of her house building plan, Ms Rayner is also set to crack down on the Right to Buy scheme, which has seen thousands of council homes sold off at massive discounts.
The Deputy PM wants to drastically reduce these discounts and tighten the rules, meaning tenants will need to live in their homes for ten years – up from the current three – before being allowed to purchase.
For newly-built council homes, the option to buy could be scrapped altogether, preserving much-needed social housing stock.
These moves are designed to stop the steady drain of social housing, with 23,000 homes being lost each year due to sales, demolition, or conversions, while only 11,000 are built.
Ms Rayner is determined to reverse this trend by 2026.
This is despite her buying her council house using the Right to Buy scheme in 2007 with a 25 per cent discount, making a reported £48,500 profit when selling it eight years later.
Backing her plans is Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has agreed to top up the housing budget with up to £1 billion.
Despite disagreements over local government funding, both Ms Rayner and Ms Reeves appear united when it comes to tackling the housing crisis.
A senior government source told The Times: “Angela’s ambitions on social and council housing have the full backing of the prime minister and chancellor, and that will become even clearer in the weeks ahead.
“They are joined at the hip when it comes to getting Britain building.”
What Is Right To Buy?
RIGHT to Buy was introduced in 1980 by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government.
The scheme allows people renting council homes (owned by local councils) to buy their homes at a discount.
The longer you’ve lived in the property, the bigger the discount—up to 70 per cent off.
It was designed to help tenants become homeowners, and millions of people have used it.
However, the scheme has also led to a large reduction in available council homes, as many were sold and not replaced.
This has contributed to a shortage of affordable housing for people in need.
Angela Rayner now wants to reduce the discounts and make it harder for tenants to buy their council homes, aiming to protect the number of affordable homes available.
