Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart commends East Riding of Yorkshire Council on its promotion of the improvements to the Council House Right to Buy Scheme that has seen a three-fold increase in the number of people entering the scheme in East Yorkshire.

Launched in April last year, the new Right to Buy offers council tenants discounts of up to £75,000 to help them buy their home with plans to reduce the qualifying criteria from 5 years to just 3 years occupancy.

Commenting, Graham said:

“I’m delighted that more and more local people are being helped to own their own home after years of decline under Labour who have always opposed and undermined Right to Buy. Councils now have a legal duty to inform tenants about the increased discounts brought in by the Coalition government to help people get on the housing ladder; East Riding of Yorkshire Council is doing a great job of getting the word out and even has officers available to help people navigate the application process.

“Thanks to legislation passed in 2011 every home which is sold to tenants will be replaced with another new one to help house those on waiting lists. So tenants get to own their own home and yet the social housing stock is maintained.

“It’s good news that the number of people buying their own council home is on the rise. After years of Labour running down the Right to Buy, Conservatives have radically increased the discounts and more people are now taking advantage of this opportunity. It’s another example of how the Conservatives in government are delivering real benefits to those who work hard and want to get on in life.”