The UK Government has rolled back Right to Buy discounts in England to the lower levels seen before 2012. It's now consulting on further changes – including how long a tenant should live in a home before being able to buy it, and whether newly built homes should be permanently or temporarily exempt from sale, among other potential reforms.

Professor Ken Gibb, Director of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence at the University of Glasgow, offers his thoughts at a time when the Government expects there will be just 1,700 Right to Buy sales in the next year.

In Housing Today, journalist Carl Brown recently summed up the consultation and the early reactions from housing organisations. But looking at this from Scotland, there’s a strange reluctance in England to properly address a policy that’s well past its time.

Despite its clear downsides, Right to Buy still holds powerful political influence – so much so that no one seems willing to make the major changes needed. If only other housing rights had the same level of protection and political support as Right to Buy.

This month marks 50 years since Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party, and her influence still runs deep in British politics. It’s also 45 years since Right to Buy was introduced – and its impact continues to be felt.

In a recent episode of the Not Another One political podcast, commentators reflected on Thatcher’s legacy. They noted how popular the Right to Buy was with tenants – and the political benefits that brought – but also how it led to a severe lack of affordable homes, as social housing wasn’t properly replaced.

What often gets overlooked is how poor value the policy has been for the taxpayer. Many of the children of Right to Buy purchasers now have little hope of owning a home – or even accessing social housing. A large number of former council homes are now in the private rented sector, costing far more in housing benefit than if they’d remained in public hands. The long-term negative effects of the policy clearly outweigh any short-term gains.

So why is scrapping Right to Buy in 2025 not even up for discussion? Is it because of how strongly the idea of owning a home is tied to people’s aspirations – even if that gets in the way of fixing the current housing crisis?

Scotland took a different view. Here, Right to Buy was ended in two stages. In 2009, it was removed for all newly built council homes – no loopholes, just a clear and permanent change. This encouraged councils to start building social housing again – and it worked. Then, in July 2016, the policy was ended completely, with no new applications allowed.

As for public reaction? There wasn’t much. Politically and publicly, it was clear that the time had come to move on. And it’s worth remembering that Right to Buy was actually more widespread in Scotland – more sales happened per person than in England. Wales, too, has a similar story to tell.

Looking back, decades of policy tweaks, complications, and workarounds have failed to solve the problems caused by Right to Buy. Scotland offers a useful lesson: keep reforms simple and straightforward. This could be one of those rare cases where major change doesn’t have to be painful.

This article was originally published on the Housing Today website.

First published: 14 April 2025

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