Carmarthenshire nets ministerial approval for suspension of Right to Buy

Carmarthenshire County Council has become the first authority in Wales to receive approval for the suspension of its Right to Buy scheme.

Under the Housing (Wales) Measure 2011, local authorities can apply for permission to suspend the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire locally.

The Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, this week approved Carmarthenshire’s application.

The minister also announced that the Welsh Government had published a White Paper setting out its intention to end Right to Buy and Right to Acquire across Wales.

Under the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire eligible social housing tenants are able to buy their council or housing association home at a discount of up to £16,000.

Griffiths also set out plans that would see the maximum discount halved to £8,000.

The Welsh Government said Right to Buy and Right to Acquire had resulted in a significant reduction in social housing stock, with 138,423 council homes sold between 1981 and 2014.

Griffiths said: “Many families depend on social housing for a safe, secure and affordable place to live.

“Our supply of homes is under considerable pressure and we are still seeing social rented properties being taken out of our social housing stock because of the Right to Buy, which is forcing many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home. This is why decisive action is needed to protect our social housing to make sure it is available for those who need it most.”

Cllr Kevin Madge, Leader of Carmarthenshire, said: “We very much welcome this decision by the Minister, which will help alleviate the demand on our housing register and support our vision to make more good quality homes available for local people.

“We also welcome other measures that Welsh Government is seeking to introduce to further protect much needed affordable housing across Wales, and we are very proud that here in Carmarthenshire we are leading the way.”