Right to Buy scheme to be scrapped in Wrexham this month

A housing scheme which allows tenants of council houses to buy their property at a discount will be scrapped in Wrexham this month.

Right to Buy, introduced by the Conservative government in the 1980s, also allows tenants of some housing associations the legal right purchase their property.

Between 1981 and 2016, over 139,000 local authority and housing association homes were sold off under the Right to Buy across Wales. Locally, over 6,000 council homes have been sold since the creation of Wrexham County Borough in 1996, with many ending up in the private rented sector.

However plans to axe the scheme across Wales were unveiled in 2016 as part of the Welsh Government’s first year legislative priorities.

The Bill, which was granted Royal Assent in February 2018, aims to protect housing stock and incentivise the building of new social housing.

Right to Buy has already been suspended in Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Powys, Swansea and Cardiff. However from 26th January 2019 the scheme will be scrapped in Wrexham and across the rest of Wales.

Commenting on the scrapping of the Right to Buy scheme, Lesley Griffiths AM said: “I am pleased this key Welsh Labour commitment is coming to fruition.

“Abolishing Right to Buy will help reduce pressure on social housing, enabling local authorities and housing associations to invest in new developments safe in the knowledge that their housing stock will not be sold off at discounted rates.”

“Constituents regularly contact my office with housing issues but I am hopeful this move will help ensure sustainable, affordable housing is available for people who need it most.”

Tenants in Wrexham who have been considering buying their council home will need to submit an application to your landlord – either to Wrexham Council or your housing association, depending on your circumstances – by no later than January 25 (any applications received after this date won’t be accepted).

If you’ve already made an application, don’t worry about the deadline. Wrexham Council say it will still be processing applications already received in the normal way, and the deadline won’t affect them.

If you’re a tenant of Wrexham Council and you’re interested in buying your home, you can contact them on 01978 298993 or email [email protected].

Further information is available from the Welsh Government here, spelling out whether or not you’re eligible to buy your home and other details.