Housing Associations and Right to Buy evidence session
15 October 2015
The Committee holds its first evidence session of the inquiry looking at how recent housing announcements might affect housing associations. The Committee questions prominent witnesses from the housing sector and asks them for their views on the extension of the Right to Buy to tenants of housing associations.
- Watch Parliament TV: Housing Association and Right to Buy
- Inquiry: Housing association sector and the Right to Buy
- Communities and Local Government Committee
Witnesses
Monday 19 October 2015, the Grimond Room, Portcullis House
At 4.00pm
- David Orr, Chief Executive, National Housing Federation
- Jenny Osbourne, Chief Executive, Tenants Participation Advisory Service
- Paul Smee, Director General, Council of Mortgage Lenders
Purpose of the session
The three witnesses give their perspective on the wide-ranging work of housing associations, the priorities of the tenants themselves, the challenges in building new affordable housing, the impact of rent reductions and welfare reforms, the attitudes of lenders to both housing associations and home-buyers, and how the effects of the policy might vary in different parts of the country.
Background
The Conservative Party's Manifesto and the subsequent Queen's Speech made commitments to extend the Right to Buy (which previously applied to council-owned properties) to all tenants of housing associations.
The National Housing Federation announced that it had reached an agreement with the Government to deliver the extended Right to Buy on a voluntary, non-legislative basis. The Housing and Planning Bill published on 13 October 2015 makes provision for this voluntary agreement.
Further information
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