By Richard Johnstone in Manchester | 1 October 2013
Local government secretary Eric Pickles has said he will consider reforming the way councils treat residents who have bought their council house leases under the Right To Buy, noting that some people had been ‘ripped off’ by large repair bills.
In his speech to the Conservative party conference, Pickles highlighted examples including the London borough of Newham, which had, as landlord, billed Right-to-Buy homeowners for ‘work that was not done, work that was poorly done, work that was overpriced’.
In one case, a resident called Florence Bourne died thinking she owed the council £50,000, even though this was later overturned, Pickles said.
‘This case highlights the scandal of leaseholders being ripped off by inefficient municipal landlords who kick those who took up the Right to Buy,’ he told delegates.
‘We need to increase protection for former Right-to-Buy leaseholders like Florrie.’
Pickles also announced that, according to latest figures, he had cut the administration bill in the Department for Communities and Local Government by £532m through a number of ‘savings big and small’ since coming to government. This includes the £9m a year by moving the whole of the department into the same offices as the Home Office, he said.
