Politics

Right to Buy discount halved

Published

11 years ago

August 6, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Right to Buy: Not what it was!

IT WAS ANNOUNCED last week that the Welsh Government had halved the maximum discount available under the Right to Buy scheme in an attempt to ‘protect the social housing stock’.

Earlier this year Communities Minister Lesley Griffiths announced her intention to end the scheme, which has been in existence since the early eighties when it was introduced by Michael Heseltine, Margaret Thatcher’s Environment Minister as part of the Housing Act (1980).

It is hard to think of a single policy which has been so divisive over the last three decades. It is, in effect, an ideological issue; with Free Market proponents on the one side advocating the power and responsibility taken from the state and given to the individual. Opposing this are critics who point to the drastic reduction in social housing over the time period, and the corresponding increases in homelessness and the use of public money to pay private landlords.

In Wales, 138,709 council-owned homes were sold under Right to Buy between 1981 and 2014 – leading to a reduction in the social housing available of 45 percent. Nationally 42% of the population lived in council housing in 1979 – by 2008 this had dropped to 12%.

The sale of council housing was originally meant to provide funds which would enable local authorities to pay back loans and build new properties. However, restrictions were placed on the proceeds of the sales, and councils found that they could not build any new social housing until these loans had been paid off. House building by local authorities in England and Wales dropped dramatically during the eighties, and has never recovered.

The Labour Government initially opposed the policy, but changed their position in 1985. Tony Blair’s government introduced caps on the discount available in areas short of social housing, and in 2005, the rules were changed to stop former tenants selling on the open market immediately after purchase. A five-year minimum residency before becoming eligible for the scheme was also introduced.

The policy was initially very popular among council tenants, and it was considered to have played a major role in Margaret Thatcher’s landslide victory of 1983, when in 1980 she had the lowest approval rating of any prime minister since records began.

However, repossession rates were notably higher than those for people taking out private mortgages, and homelessness across Great Britain trebled over the eighties. Another bone of contention for those opposed to Right to Buy concerned the burgeoning buy to let market, which in many cases saw ex-council housing stock rented out at considerably more than the local authority charged.

Because most of the council housing purchased was of good quality, and as a result of housing shortages leading to applicants being prioritized on the basis of need, many tenants found themselves living in areas of increasing social deprivation. Cuts to council maintenance budgets, and a dramatic increase in council rents contributed to this on a national level, and to some extent made Right to Buy a self-fulfilling prophecy for those who could afford it. By the mid-nineties, 95% of council tenants qualified for means-tested benefits.

There has been a rise in the number of social housing sales in Wales over the last five years, with 544 properties sold last year. In response to this, the maximum discount has been reduced to £8,000 from £16,000. Commenting on this, Lesley Griffiths AM said that “Right to Buy is depleting our social housing stock.

“This damaging policy is further increasing the pressure on our social housing supply and is forcing many vulnerable people to wait longer for a home,” she added.

“This is why the Welsh Government has taken decisive action to protect our social housing and make sure it is available for those who need it most. Today is a significant step towards our eventual goal of abolishing the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire in Wales.”

The Conservatives, unsurprisingly, disagree with this. Speaking earlier this year, Shadow Assembly Housing Minister Mark Isherwood said that the move ‘flies in the face of aspiration and ambition. It will limit supply and deny people in council properties the choice and power to buy their own home’.

Mr Isherwood announced the intention of the Welsh Conservatives to extend Right to Buy: “We would invest all the sales proceeds in new social and affordable housing to help tackle Labour’s housing supply crisis and take households off their record-breaking waiting lists,” he added.

“Scrapping the right to buy is further proof that it’s anti-aspiration; stuck in an ’80s socialist dogma where it believes the government knows best – not the individual. We must use every tool in the armoury to increase housing supply in order to make housing more affordable.”

Whether selling off social housing in order to make money which could potentially be used to build more is a viable solution to these ‘record-breaking waiting lists,’ or indeed whether the aforementioned 45 percent reduction in available social housing could have had anything to do with the current housing shortage remains unclear.

This also fails to take into consideration people living in social housing that is not covered by Right to Buy, and indeed the large number of people renting from private landlords, often because of a shortage of council housing.

In England, the Conservatives have announced proposals which would extend Right to Buy across all areas of social housing. However, the social housing provider would have to be compensated, thus meaning that the discounted price would have to cover the cost of a new equivalent house. This is meant to be funded through local authorities selling off their more expensive council houses when they become vacant, but research has shown that outside of London the figures often fail to add up.

News

New Welsh Government plastic bans held up by internal market talks

Published

2 hours ago

February 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Cardiff under pressure from industry and environmental groups as new restrictions loom

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has confirmed that further bans on single-use plastic products will not be enacted before the end of the current Senedd term — but reiterated its commitment to phasing out what it calls “unnecessary” plastics to protect the environment.

In a written statement on Wednesday (Feb 11), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies said planned “Phase 2” restrictions under the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 will be delayed as officials work with UK governments to secure an exemption from the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA).

Phase 1 of the act, which came into force in October 2023, already bans a range of commonly littered items such as plastic cutlery, drinks stirrers, polystyrene cups and takeaway containers.

Under Phase 2, ministers had intended to restrict polystyrene lids, single-use plastic carrier bags and products made of oxo-degradable plastic by spring 2026 — but Mr Irranca-Davies said that timetable is no longer feasible this term due to the ongoing negotiations over internal market arrangements.

“We are committed to seeing polystyrene lids … plastic single-use carrier bags or products made of oxo-degradable plastic banned and are working to achieve that as soon as possible,” he said in the statement.

Environmental groups and campaigners have welcomed the Government’s overall ambition but stressed the urgency of moving from pledges to action.

A spokesperson for Keep Wales Tidy said the original legislation was a crucial step in tackling plastic waste, noting that plastics remain one of the most common forms of litter found on beaches and in waterways. “This move shows intent, but communities are looking for swift implementation,” the group added in a recent comment on social media about Wales’s ongoing efforts to reduce single-use plastics.

Wales was one of the first parts of the UK to target carrier bags, introducing a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags in 2011, which saw usage drop dramatically — by over 90 per cent according to government data.

Critics from parts of the business community, including hospitality and retail sectors, have previously expressed concerns over the practical impacts of rapidly changing plastic regulations, particularly where alternatives are not readily available or where internal market uncertainties create compliance challenges for firms operating across the UK.

Mr Irranca-Davies said the Welsh Government remains committed to the wider goals of its Beyond Recycling circular economy strategy — including a **zero-waste **ambition by 2050 — and to ending what he described as a “throw-away culture” that harms the environment and future generations.

He also highlighted progress already made: Wales now ranks among the world’s highest for household recycling rates, a significant rise from less than five per cent at the point of devolution.

The Government says wet wipes containing plastic will be restricted from 18 December 2026 and that it will continue working with UK partners to resolve internal market issues and push remaining bans forward.

Business

Redevelopment plans at Clunderwen dairy farm approved

Published

12 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for new livestock buildings at a Pembrokeshire dairy farm, aimed at “improved animal husbandry” will not lead to an increase in herd size, councillors heard.

In an application recommended for approval at the February meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Mr Roblin of Clynderwen Farm, Clunderwen, sought permission for two livestock building at the 210-hectare dairy farm of 280 cows and 235 head of young stock.

A report for members said each livestock accommodation building would have a length of 77 m, a width of 33m, an eaves height of 3.6m and a ridge height of 8.9m.

Both buildings would be parallel to each other and would cover a footprint of 5,082sqm (2,541sqm each). The proposal includes a total of 308 cubicles, loafing and feed areas, with a central feed passage in the middle.

It said the buildings at the site, some 200 metres from the nearby Redhill school and just over a kilometre from Clunderwen, would sit a little lower than those already on site, and the proposals would not lead to any increase in herd size.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Gethin Beynon said the scheme would lead to “improved animal husbandry to serve the existing milking herd and to support the next farming generation”.

He told members the application was accompanied by environmental enhancements and screening, with no objections from members of the public or any statutory bodies.

Mr Beynon went on to say the herd was currently housed in historic farm site buildings that “fall short of current standards,” with a farm move towards Holstein cattle which need more space.

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“It will improve animal husbandry and efficiencies in what is currently a challenging market,” he concluded.

Approval was moved by Cllr Alan Dennison, seconded by Cllr Brian Hall, and unanimously backed by committee members.

Farming

Housing restriction at Hayscastle farm site removed

Published

19 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to remove an agriculture condition imposed back in 1989 on a Pembrokeshire farm site which is said to be “economically unviable” as a farm has been given the go-ahead.

In an application recommended for approval at the February meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Rosalyn Jayne Evans sought permission for the removal of an agricultural worker-only condition for residence at Upper Hayscastle Farm, Hayscastle, near Haverfordwest.

The original condition was imposed as part of a 1989-approved planning application.

A report for members said the land, some 26.3 hectares,” is, following independent valuation, not considered to be an ‘economically viable unit in its own right’.”

“The report author contends this was also likely to have been the case at the time when [the 1988 scheme] was originally granted as no housing for livestock, crop or slurry storage was provided as part of the original consent or since the approval.

“The report also states that whilst the land is productive for uses such as grazing and crops, the lack of building(s) would restrict the economic viability of Dolfach as a separate agricultural holding.

“If investment were to now be made at the holding in relation to dairy or beef farming, the report contends that this would be economically unviable, due to the holding at Dolfach being unable to support a sufficient number of animals to produce the financial return required to sustain the business. The report also highlights that building(s) for livestock would be essential in relation to the prevalence of Bovine TB in the locality.”

It added: “It is considered that the information provided by JJ Morris is sufficient to indicate that the scale of the land holding and the lack of infrastructure would make a farming enterprise at the site an economically unviable proposition.”

It recommended “the existing Section 52 agreement be discharged to remove the requirement for the dwelling to be tied to the land in agriculture at Upper Hayscastle Farm and for the dwelling to be occupied by a person solely or mainly employed before retirement in agriculture”.

The recommendation of approval was moved by Cllr Brian Hall and unanimously backed by committee members.