End in Sight for Right-to-Buy Chaos

1.11.48pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 27th Jan 2005

Manchester Liberal Democrats' Shadow Executive Member Councillor Paul Shannon has welcomed extra Council funding to reduce the waiting list for tenants wanting to buy their council house.

The £180 000 of extra funding comes following complaints from Liberal Democrat councillors about delays affecting their constituents.

Councillor Shannon, who speaks on Housing, supported the proposals at January's top-level Council Executive meeting, which agreed the increase: "Applications from tenants wanting to buy their house have trebled in the last few years, from 1386 in 2001 to over 3900 last year! The Council have struggled to cope," he said.

" Many tenants have suffered massive delays in processing their applications and getting valuations. This has cost the Council dearly, as some tenants have had to be given a rebate due to the delays incurred," he went on.

"The extra money brings the cost of running the "Right-to-Buy" office to £1million a year, and will be spent on more admin staff and valuation work, and paying for outsourcing legal work."

"At last tenants in Manchester wanting to buy their house will get the sort of service they should have had in the first place!" concluded Cllr Shannon.