Manchester Labour removes Tenants "Right to Buy"

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 27th Jun 2006

A row has broken out over the City Council's withdrawal of the Right to Buy for up to 287 homes in the Miles Platting PFI area in Manchester.

In a report to the Council's top-level Executive Committee this Wednesday, Labour are planning to take away some Council tenants' right to buy their council homes.

Lib Dem Shadow Finance Spokesperson Cllr Marc Ramsbottom says that up to 287 families in the PFI area will be affected:

"This proposal to take away tenants legal right to buy their council home may be illegal. Even the Director of Housing in his report acknowledges that, but they are still pressing ahead with this idea. Many tenants may have already started the process of buying their home before the PFI deal was signed, and they may now be stopped from buying their home," he said.

Cllr Ramsbottom will speak against the proposal at Wednesday's Executive Committee meeting. The Miles Platting housing PFI scheme has been hit by controversy since the plans announced the demolition of nearly 300 homes over a year ago. This latest blow comes after residents have fought a long battle to keep their homes.

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