§ 1. Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he now intends to take further action in cases where local authorities have recently decided to stop schemes for the sale of council houses to sitting tenants; and what advice he will give especially in those instances where tenants have already been invited to enter into a purchase contract.
§ The Minister for Housing and Construction (Mr. Julian Amery)With regard to the first half of the Question I am reluctant to reduce the freedom of local authorities to manage their affairs, but the exercise of powers vested in them is a matter between them and their electors in the first place and their electors will shortly have an opportunity to pronounce. With regard to the second part of the Question local authorities must be the judges of the extent to which the public faith has already been committed. By the same token they should make sure that that faith is honoured.
§ Mr. RostI am grateful for that answer. May I urge my right hon. Friend to make that reply widely known to the council at Long Eaton in Derbyshire, where the sale of council houses is now being stopped although promises were previously made? Will my right hon. Friend make it clear that unless the Long Eaton Council proceeds with its promises to its council house tenants to sell council houses, the capital will not be available with which to build new council houses in order to provide them for those who are really in need?
§ Mr. AmeryI am deeply shocked by what my hon. Friend tells me of the attitude of the council of Long Eaton, and I hope that the electors of that local authority will take the earliest opportunity of putting matters right.
§ Mr. Simon MahonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that some councils have stopped selling council houses not because they are against the principle of 403 ownership but because of the tremendous social burden that they have in housing and because of the added burden of building increasing numbers of houses which are needed for ordinary working-class people to rent? Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied with progress in the public sector, which is very important in places such as Merseyside?
§ Mr. AmeryI take the hon. Member's point but, on the whole, experience shows that when a council house tenant is not allowed to buy, he usually remains a council house tenant, so there is no loss to the local authority by selling off the house. Usually it is a gain, particularly in areas of stress if they make use of the much improved slum clearance subsidy which we are making available under the Housing Finance Bill.