Senior Tory Says Right-To-Buy Could Wipe Out ‘Swathes’ Of Social Housing

The leader of a flagship London Tory council has warned that David Cameron’s right-to-buy scheme could strip the capital of “huge swathes of social housing”. Westminster leader Philippa Roe admitted that the re-jigged initiative risks leaving boroughs unable to provide homes for people who need them. The Prime Minister wants to allow 1.3 million housing association tenants to purchase their property and has promised that each home sold will be replaced. But Ms Roe said associations were likely to use money from the sale of London homes to build a greater number of properties outside the capital, where development is cheaper. She said: “What we will see is a reduction in the number of social housing units in London and more units built outside. But the crisis in housing is inside London. So it is absolutely vital that the proceeds of right-to-buy from London are kept in London.” Read more on the Evening Standard website.