THE introduction of the Right to Buy for council tenants was the underpinning of a revolution which enabled property ownership to become a reality rather than a dream for more than two million council tenants all over the country.

Amongst them were my parents. My father was a self employed bricklayer, my mother a sales assistant at Woolworths and with three young daughters to feed and clothe, they were typical of the many hard working families whose aspiration to get on the housing ladder was unlocked by Right to Buy. The Coalition Government wants to give a new generation of tenants the right to buy their homes. To that end, we are increasing the maximum discount to £75,000. The last Government chipped away at the discount to dissuade tenants from buying their properties.

They introduced regional caps which were not increased in line with house prices. As a result, the sales dwindled to a mere 3,000 properties last year.

The increase in the discount will make home ownership affordable for many more people and give them a real incentive to own their own home. I am pleased also the Government has committed that every home bought through Right to Buy, will be replaced with a new home for rent. Of course, there is more to be done. The reality is that not enough new homes have been built in recent years. This, together with the behaviour of the banks, fed an increase in property prices which has put home ownership out of reach of too many people. The first buy scheme will help and it is good to see so many people taking advantage of this in the new developments in West Thurrock. We are determined to make sure that the supply of affordable housing is increased and that everyone who wishes to own their own home has better opportunities to do so. Local authorities are required to promote the new Right to Buy discount to their tenants. But do contact me if you would like any more information.