“Andy Burnham suspends Right to Buy scheme for houses in Manchester”

Labour’s Andy Burnham wants to shelve the Right to Buy scheme after claiming it is making the housing crisis “worse every year”.

He said he wanted to “suspend” but “not end” the Right to Buy housing program to allow more social housing to be built across the county.

Mr Burnham outlined his policies after being elected to a third term in the mayoral election as part of “ambitious” new plans for Greater Manchester.

Right to Buy allows most council tenants to purchase their council home at a discount and advocates say the scheme has helped people climb the property ladder and secure their families’ financial future.

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 suspending, not terminating, the right to buy.

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.