The Right to Buy (RTB) scheme is becoming unsustainable, with councils struggling to rebuild homes as quickly as they are being sold, the Local Government Association has warned.
The LGA, which represents 350 councils, also slammed plans to expand Right to Buy to housing association tenants.
It said that the Government’s promise to replace properties sold under the scheme one for one was unattainable due to red tape.
Cllr David Renard, housing spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Councils want to urgently address the number of people on waiting lists for a council home and stuck in temporary accommodation. At a time of an escalating cost of living crisis, we urgently need to build more council homes, not have less.
“It is becoming impossible for councils to replace homes as quickly as they’re being sold and they are increasingly having to do so with far less money than the property sells for because of discounts being offered.
“Every home sold that isn’t replaced risks pushing more families into the private rented sector, driving up housing benefit spending and rents and exacerbating our homelessness crisis.
“Right to Buy continues to enable many families to achieve their dream of getting on the housing ladder and owning their own home. However, without reform of the scheme, future generations will not enjoy the same opportunity.”
