The Conservative’s Right to Buy policy has changed the quality Essay

The Conservative’s Right to Buy policy has changed the quality and quantity of local authority housing beyond all recognition. Discuss - Essay Example But the scenario changes when the government of a country makes it easier and affordable for the people to buy houses. An example is the introduction of the ‘Right to Buy Policy’ (RTB) introduced by the Conservative government in the UK (later to become part of the Housing Act 1985 as sections 188 to 188). This paper is a review of the positive and negative effects of the policy and whether it has changed the quality and quantity of local authority housing beyond all recognition. The right to Buy scheme was first introduced in 1980 and the policy aims at â€Å"at secure tenants of local authorities (councils) and those assured tenants of registered social landlords/housing associations who previously held secure tenancies with local authorities. It is open to virtually any secure tenant who can afford to buy† (Communities and Local Government). Relatively high levels of discounts were also provided for the tenants if they intended to exercise their rights to buy. Several changes in legislation have taken place over the years and it is not intended in this paper to go into its details. The primary purpose as mentioned earlier is to understand its effects and repercussions. It is clear from published literature and facts that the policy did have an enormous impact on the housing sector in the country. According to the Guardian newspaper, as of 2003, nearly 1.5 million homes have been purchased by tenants and the level of ownership has risen from 55 to 7 0%. (Weaver 2003). The figure for Scotland in 2006, according to Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm was 67%. Balchin and Rhoden quoting Hamnett state that the near dormant housing sector radically changed gears within ten years of the introduction of the policy. The housing sector was not very dynamic for nearly half a century prior to its introduction (Balchin &Rhoden 2002, p. 10). There are more words of praise and appreciation. In the book