Stirling Conservatives condemn SNP's stance on right to buy

Oct 28 2009 by Kaiya Marjoribanks, Stirling Observer Wednesday

TORY councillors have condemned the SNP’s stance on the right to buy council homes as “absurd”.

The Conservatives comments came after remarks at the SNP conference in Inverness that right to buy legislation had “had its day”.

Stirling Conservatives’ housing spokesman Councillor Neil Benny said: “This shows the SNP for the left-wing state control fanatics they are.

“The right to buy has given many families, including my own, the kind of help that made owning a home possible.

“The SNP administration at Holyrood along with their lackeys here in Stirling want to pull the ladder up so that young families in social housing are left behind.

“The SNP are intent on hiding the truth on right to buy. How are we going to afford the kitchens, bathrooms and heating system upgrades that the housing stock needs? To say nothing about stalled regeneration projects in Cultenhove and Cornton.

“The truth is that without the money that right to buy brings in we can’t afford it and we will either have to cut back or put it on the credit card for future generations.

“The SNP administration needs to tell the truth on housing.”

Stirling SNP councillor Alasdair MacPherson, however, hit back at Councillor Benny’s comments, saying: “Once again Councillor Benny and the Tory group show they are not living in the real world.

“The fact of the matter is that we are in the middle of a housing crisis caused by the right to buy. More than 7000 council houses have been lost to the right to buy since it was introduced in 1980.

“The Scottish Government and the SNP administration at Stirling Council are beginning to address the chronic shortage of social rented housing by building the first council houses in more than 20 years.

“The Scottish Government has also provided record funding for local housing associations to build social rented housing in Stirling, in addition to the new council housing.

“The housing service has a 30-year business plan, which Councillor Benny should be aware of, which clearly demonstrates how the capital programme would be funded going forward, with or without right to buy receipts.’’