The Right to Buy? : Selling off Public and Social Housing

"The Right to Buy has had a massive impact on Housing in the UK for 35 years and in 2015 there were proposals to extend it. But what is the Right to Buy policy, how has it developed and what has its impact been? What evidence is there about the wider and unintended consequences of the policy? How are the proposals to extend the policy in England likely to affect future housing provision and what alternatives are there? In The Right to Buy, Alan Murie provides an authoritative account of the origins, development and impact of the policy across the UK and proposals for its extension in England (and decisions to end it in Scotland and Wales). Presenting uptodate statistical material the book engages with debates about transfers to private renting, the impact on public expenditure and on the current housing situation, addresses the proposals for new legislation and details the potential impact of these. It is an essential read for anyone interested in this highly topical issue"--Provided by publisher THE RIGHT TO BUY? Contents List of tables and figures Tables Figures About the author Acknowledgements 1. Introduction Outline of the book 2. Selling public housing: precursors and preconditions Introduction Building and selling council houses before 1951 Discretionary sales, 1952-79 Conclusions 3. a policy history of The Right to Buy, 1980-2015 Introduction First steps Strengthening the Right to Buy Labour and the Right to Buy, 1997-2010 Coalition government 2010-15: reinvigorating the Right to Buy in England Housing associations and the Right to Buy Right to Buy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Conclusions 4. Statistics and impacts of The Right To Buy Introduction Sales of public and social housing, 1980-2015 Properties and places Discounts, property values and capital receipts Changing tenures Conclusions 5. A policy commentary Introduction The Right to Buy – who was most likely to buy? Financial advantages and risks for purchasers Leaseholder issues Abuses of the Right to Buy Longer-term consequences: resales and access to housing From the Right to Buy to private renting Housing Benefit costs after the Right to Buy Housing estates and housing conditions Conclusions 6. The next phase: extending the Right to Buy in England Introduction Policy debates A Voluntary Right to Buy Further policy development Likely impact of Voluntary Right to Buy Voluntary Right to Buy sales and replacement Conclusions 7. Conclusions: public and social housing: slow death or new beginnings? Introduction The Right to Buy? Future prospects Public housing’s long goodbye Localism and independence Cost renting and private renting Discounts and proportionality Alternatives to the Right to Buy Conclusions References Index Alan Murie provides an authoritative account of the origins, development and impact of the Right to Buy policy across the UK and proposals for its extension in England. Presenting up-to-date statistical material the book engages with debates about transfers to private renting, the impact on public expenditure and on the current housing situation, addresses the proposals for new legislation and details the potential impact of these