Welsh renew bid to end right to buy

The government originally drafted a Legislative Competence Order – which the Welsh Assembly must do to ask for certain powers from Westminster – for housing two years ago.

It learnt that LCO had failed last week due to confusion over whether it asked for the right to buy to be abolished. The government has always said it wants to be able to end the right to buy in areas where there is high demand for social housing.

A second LCO has been prepared and the plans for it will be set out next month.

Deputy minister for housing Jocelyn Davies said: ‘Work is already underway to seek additional powers so that we’re able to deliver our wider housing ambitions and it makes sense to incorporate our commitments within the previous LCO into one wide-ranging LCO.

‘We must look at how we can preserve and protect social housing for tenants now and in the future for the people of Wales.’

A spokesperson said the plan was not to abolish the right to buy, but to modify it in certain areas, such as allowing people to become shared owners of their social home.

The strategies will also include tightening public spending during the recession and dealing with climate change issues.

Welsh Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Peter Black said: ‘We said [at the start of this process] that the widest possible powers were needed to preserve the stock of affordable housing, to modernise social housing and to enable councils and other bodies to deliver the maximum possible number of affordable homes. The government now appears to have accepted that case.’

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