LGA Response to Select Committee Housing Report

Responding to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee report on housing finance, Cllr Clyde Loakes, Vice Chair of the LGA's Environment and Housing Board, said: "This cross party group of MPs are right to identify problems with the right-to-buy model which the Government is pursuing. Allowing councils to decide the right-to-buy cap locally, based upon local demand and cost, would offer the best chance of building enough new homes.  Doubts have been raised about the viability of every area replacing one house sold under right-to-buy with another, and this cross party report adds weight to that argument. The LGA will continue to press the Government for a review of the right-to-buy policy after one year. Councils also support the cross party groups' proposals on allowing councils to decide themselves whether to re-open s.106 agreements. If centrally imposed targets were introduced this could impact upon vital new housing in local areas.  The report concludes that local government has many "restraints placed upon it by central government" which may limit their ability to build new homes. Council bosses are urging the Government to give them more freedom to deliver the new housing which is so desperately needed."  Read more on the LGA website.