Right to buy council homes should stay

Homelessness charity Shelter has expressed “grave concern” over the
announcement that the Conservative Party would keep the
right-to-buy policy for council properties.

Shadow deputy prime minister David Davis also announced last week
that a Conservative government would extend the right to buy
enjoyed by council tenants to more than a million occupants in
housing association properties.

He said the associations were replacing councils as the main
provider of social housing, but the tenants did not have the right
to own their own homes.

But Shelter argued that such a scheme would further exacerbate
severe shortages of affordable housing in many parts of the
country.

Meanwhile, shadow secretary for work and pensions David Willetts
told delegates that “the Tory war on lone parents is over”.

He said the real battle was to support and strengthen the nation’s
families of “all shapes and sizes”.

“Too often they are struggling in a hostile environment,” he said.
“When they are not being ignored they are being blamed. When they
are not being blamed they are being taxed.

“Our approach will be very different. We’ll support them and value
them.”

New proposals to deal with drug addicts outlined by shadow home
secretary Oliver Letwin included plans to “actively identify” young
people on heroin and cocaine and offer them a choice of treatment
or court.