Angela Rayner has been accused of launching an “attack on aspiration” after cutting discounts for council house tenants who want to buy their homes. The right-to-buy savings will be slashed from 35% to between 5% and 15%, depending on how long the tenant has lived there.
Currently, tenants must have lived in a council house for three years to qualify for the scheme, but the Deputy Prime Minister has upped this to 10. New builds are exempt for 35 years, and those who have already capitalised on right-to-buy will not be allowed to again. Shadow housing scretary Kevin Hollinrake exposed what he called Ms Rayner’s hypocrisy, as she benefitted from the system herself.
He said: “Today, Labour has chosen to quietly bury bad news, slipping out a policy that slashes right-to-buy eligibility and discounts.
“This is nothing short of an attack on aspiration. Labour is turning its back on the very families who work hard and want a stake in their future. For decades, right to buy has helped millions take their first step onto the housing ladder.
“Now, this Government is making it harder than ever to own a home. It is increasingly clear that the only guaranteed route to housing in this country is to arrive on a small boat.
“And the hypocrisy is staggering, Angela Rayner has personally benefitted from right to buy. Yet under her party’s watch, that opportunity is being stripped away from others. Labour’s message to aspiring homeowners is clear.”
Ms Rayner bought her former council house in Stockport for £79,000 in 2007 with a 25% discount from right-to-buy.
Her department, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the new rules would allow councils to increase their stock of homes, while ensuring that only those who need the scheme can access it.
Sir Keir Starmer also promised to reform the system as too many people who need social housing have been refused it, he said.
This comes amid Labour’s general election promise to build 1.5 million more homes during the Parliament, many of which it said would be social and affordable homes.