SCOTLAND: Homes chief slams 'right to buy'
plan
Edinburgh Evening News
January 19, 2005
THE Scottish Executive has been urged to scrap plans to
extend council tenants’ right to buy to housing
association properties.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations says the
move, due to come into effect in 2012, will make more people
homeless.
SFHA chief executive David Orr said: "In all my time in
housing, there has never been a more obvious commonsense
solution to a housing problem than this one.
"The rate of homelessness in Scotland is now so high
that the last thing we need is for affordable rented houses
to be bought up and taken away from the social sector, yet
this is what the Executive seems intent on doing. We need
more homes, not less.
"They must scrap this policy and guarantee that the new
homes being built in the social rented sector today will stay
in the social rented sector tomorrow. Only then will we be
able to address the homelessness crisis that shames
Scotland."
Homelessness charity Shelter also opposed the Executive plan
at a conference in Edinburgh yesterday.