Peers vote in favour of Housing and Planning Bill amendment

Peers have voted in favour of an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill which proposed councils should be forced to give the money raised from the sale of high value council homes to the Treasury.

The government planned to use the extra money to fund the extension of the Right to Buy scheme. It also said it was considering making a number of concessions to the Bill, including a like-for-like replacement of all council homes under the forced sale and the protection of high value homes in rural areas.

The government claimed it would also implement additional safeguards to stop rogue landlords from taking advantage of new rules which will allow them to reclaim abandoned properties.

Commenting on the move, shadow housing minister John Healey said: “It's become clear to peers across the House of Lords that this government has no proper plan to fix the housing pressures people face. The proposals debated today will mean a severe loss of low-cost homes, at a time when they've rarely been needed more.

He added: “It's welcome they have backtracked on some areas today, but they must now urgently come back to Parliament with improvements that safeguard affordable homes for the next generation.”