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A BBC investigation into profits made under the Right to Buy scheme and the rest of the morning’s housing news
In the news
People who bought their council homes through Right to Buy have made £6.4bn in resale profits since the year 2000, an investigation has found.
Figures obtained by the BBC showed that 140 people bought and sold their homes under Margaret Thatcher’s famous policy in one month, making a collective profit of £3m.
One tenant purchased their Solihull council home for £8,000 and sold it for £285,000 nine days later.
The BBC has produced an interactive map showing the profits made by buyers in different areas across Britain.
Meanwhile, The Guardian runs a story from yesterday’s Spring Statement on the chancellor’s announcement that gas boilers will be replaced by low-carbon heating systems in all new homes from 2025.
The Plymouth Herald looks into the development of affordable rented housing in the city, describing the tenure as “anything but” affordable. It notes that the rent can be set at up to 80% of market rents, so will still be out of the reach of people on low incomes in many areas.
Southwark News reports on comments from the council’s new land chief about the need for land reform to make homes affordable in the pricey south London borough.
Politics Home carries a piece written by the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association about the chancellor’s Spring Statement pledge of a Future Homes Standard.
The Guardian has an exclusive report on figures it has obtained from the NHS that show thousands of homeless patients have been discharged straight back to the streets. It says that some homeless patients left hospital without anywhere else to go while still recovering from major surgery and mental health crises.
Meanwhile, the BBC has a story about a young woman in Torbay with mental health problems who is at risk of homelessness. According to the story, the council told her she can cope just as well with sleeping rough as an “ordinary” person and assessed her as “not in priority need”.
On social media
The Torbay story generated much debate on Twitter:
Tory-run Torbay council has told a young person with a personality disorder and other mental health issues that they should be able to cope living homeless, on the streets. This has come from charity Humanity Torbay pic.twitter.com/1UgrJgrPIk
— Nicola Marie 🌹 (@nikpet1)>Tory-run Torbay council has told a young person with a personality disorder and other mental health issues that they should be able to cope living homeless, on the streets. This has come from charity Humanity Torbay pic.twitter.com/1UgrJgrPIk
— Nicola Marie \uD83C\uDF39 (@nikpet1) March 12, 2019
Chilling and abhorrent @Torbay_Council t.co/kVtrBIL8W4
— Gem - Bee Reader (@BeeReader)>Chilling and abhorrent @Torbay_Council https://t.co/kVtrBIL8W4
— Gem - Bee Reader (@BeeReader) March 14, 2019
My gods. 😳 Someone actually signed that? A real person? Someone actually typed it and didn’t think "This might not be okay"?
— Kate Coldwind ⚧🏳️🌈 (@KaldrKaMy gods. \uD83D\uDE33 Someone actually signed that? A real person? Someone actually typed it and didn't think "This might not be okay"?
— Kate Coldwind ⚧\uD83C\uDFF3️\uD83C\uDF08 (@KaldrKate) March 14, 2019