Tory Climbdown Over Pay-To-Stay Plan To Raise Social Housing Rents

Ministers are preparing a climbdown over controversial plans to force hundreds of thousands of social housing tenants to pay market rents once they earn more than £30,000 a year – as they “clear the decks” of controversial policies ahead of the EU referendum. George Osborne has abandoned a package of radical pension reforms, including cuts to tax relief for higher earners, for fear of upsetting voters and causing a political distraction. The Observer now understands that ministers are also planning to modify hugely contentious elements of the housing reforms the chancellor announced last summer. A retreat on the “pay to stay” policy – which is under attack from a cross-party group in the House of Lords – will be seen as part of an attempt to avoid issues that could create negative headlines before the 23 June vote. Read more on the Observer website.