Winter in a park home, Rural right-to-buy
Consumer affairs programme. Winifred Robinson asks how the government's new 'right to buy' scheme could affect the supply of affordable homes in rural areas.
Age UK says tens of thousands of elderly people living in holiday park homes and pre-fabs are struggling to keep warm in the winter. The charity says they are ineligible for much of the support provided to help people to insulate and heat their homes. They are pressing the government to set up an energy efficiency scheme to help park-home residents to reduce their heating bills.
The government wants to give housing association tenants the right to buy their homes. It's an extension of the right to buy available to council house tenants. But several organisations representing rural communities have told us they fear it could result in a serious shortage of affordable homes in the countryside. Michael Eavis, who founded and runs Glastonbury Festival gave land to a housing association so it could be used to provide affordable homes. He plans to do the same again but wants a cast iron guarantee that none of the homes will be sold under right-to-buy. We ask what protections could be put in place to protect the supply of affordable homes in rural areas.
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.
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Broadcast
- Mon 19 Oct 2015 12:15麻豆社 Radio 4