How do we fix the housing crisis? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series, in which our writers share their experiences of the UK’s dysfunctional housing system and examine how we can fix it.
Pensioners like me have a moral responsibility to downsize for young peopleThe biggest lie I was told about owning my own homeThe UK’s new rental scandal that no one is talking aboutThe bizarre tricks estate agents are now using to sell a house
Good news when it comes to housing is a rarity these days, so let’s raise a glass to the announcement that the Government plans to fund over 40,000 new social homes, with more to follow. After years of cuts to funding for social housing, finally the tide is turning. Our leaders are once again acknowledging the countless benefits of building good-quality, low-cost homes for people who need them. Hallelujah.
Still, simply building more social homes won’t be enough unless ministers also put a stop to the sell-off of the ones we already have. And if Andy Burnham wants to arrest that disastrous decline, there is one big, brave announcement he needs to make: ending the catastrophic Right to Buy scheme.
Since it was introduced in 1980, Right to Buy has allowed more than two million social housing tenants to buy their property. The idea was a simple one: social housing tenants would be able to save up to buy their home at a heavily discounted price – giving low-income tenants the ability to get on the housing ladder. Who could possibly object to that?
