William Eichler 14 October 2025

Right to Buy leaves councils thousands of homes short

Right to Buy leaves councils thousands of homes short image
© Clare Louise Jackson / Shutterstock.com.

An investigation by The Big Issue has revealed the lasting impact of the Right to Buy scheme on England’s social housing stock.

Over the past five years, 53 councils sold 20,836 homes under the scheme, raising £2.25bn. However, they spent nearly the same amount—£2.12bn—buying back just 8,590 properties.

Over half of the repurchased homes had previously been sold under the scheme, leaving councils with a net loss of 12,246 properties, according to the research.

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