Manchester: Andy Burnham wants to suspend the right-to-buy program

But Mr Burnham said the housing crisis was getting “worse every year” as a result.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “We lose social housing every year and across Greater Manchester we lost 500 social homes last year.”

“I say to Whitehall and Westminster: they must allow us to suspend the right to buy on the new houses we are building because if we don’t, trying to solve the housing crisis is like trying to fill a bath, but with the unplug because you try to build new houses but lose them at the other end.”

Mr Burnham hoped to solve Greater Manchester’s housing crisis within a decade by calling on the Government to suspend, not end, the Right to Buy Act.

This was part of his promise to build 10,000 homes across the county, with at least 1,000 in each district.

By working with public bodies to “uncover brownfield land”, the social homes would be a “new generation of social housing that will be cheaper to run”.

“There is no solution to the housing crisis without building homes that people can actually afford,” he added.

As part of his four-year term as mayor, Mr Burnham also wants to introduce a Greater Manchester Good Landlord Charter to improve standards in the private rental sector.

He said: “We will give our residents the right to request a property inspection if they fear their home is unsuitable or unsafe.”

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has the most powers of any elected mayor outside London, overseeing decisions in areas such as public transport, strategic planning and housing, productivity and skills, economy and innovation and the environment.

They also take on the role of Police and Crime Commissioner and have responsibility for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.