Right
to Buy
Not abolishing “Right to Buy” is one of
the crimes of our MPs. Granted for the middle class, it seems like a good idea,
why not give away billions of pounds just on the basis that someone was lucky
enough to have been allocated a council house when they needed it, why not
promote the capitalist ethic.
The following story is true; if you see
nothing wrong with the attitude expressed you are probably not alone.
I was confronted at a conference
by an ex-policeman (not that I think his profession relevant) who wanted to
complain about Kirklees. His complaint was that his aged parents, who lived in
Hightown, had been refused Housing Benefit.
They had lived in and brought up a
family in a Council House provided by Spenborough Council, their son (the
Ex-policeman) thought it was nonsense them paying rent so he encouraged them,
and financed them to use Right to Buy, especially as they were entitled to the
maximum discount, worth over £40,000 to them.
Obviously the son used his own
money to fund the purchase so it was only right that he should charge a rent,
equivalent to the Council rent. It wasn’t right though that his parents had to
pay so he encouraged them to apply for Housing Benefit.
This was his complaint; nasty,
mean Kirklees had refused to pay it. He was considering evicting them so they
would qualify for a council bungalow, which was much better suited to their
current needs.
