Local authorites and registered social landlords across Scotland will be celebrating the Scottish Government announcement today that the controversial Right to Buy (RTB)scheme is to be abolished in Scotland.

There has been a net loss of around half a million social housing stock across the country because of RTB since it was introduced by Thatcher’s conservative government in 1980. The policy has caused much controversy with supporters advocating that it was a socially liberating policy whilst others insist that it was devisive, leading to properties being lost for people in housing need, families taking on mortgages but not being able to afford maintenance costs and the system being widely abused by tenants’ relatives and landlords.

RTB along with “Buy to Let” led to governments investing less in bricks and mortar and spending substantially more in housing benefit. The legacy of these policies is a lack of affordable housing, high house prices and misery for millions priced out of a decent home, whether to rent or buy.

In Aberdeenshire there were 17,628 social rented sector homes in 2011-2012. RTB resulted in the loss of 2,457 affordable homes between 2001-2001 and 2011-2012. The number of households on the council waiting list was 5,705 in March last year, but only 868 new lets were available. This means it would take more than 6 years to clear the current waiting list. Abolishing RTB will go some way to preserving stock for the future.

Following their announcement earlier today, the Scottish Government confirmed that social housing tenants will have three years to exercise their RTB following royal assent in Autumn 2014.

Now all we need is the Scottish Government to reconsider their position on the derisory housing grant levels and get social landlords building again.