Council suspends Right to Buy in 50 letting areas across Aberdeen

The decision was made following a report which was presented to the Committee which recommended designating parts of the city as "pressured areas" and suspending the Right to Buy for a period up to 10 years.

The report identified "pressured areas" across the City where it was identified that the use of Right to Buy "has led, or may lead to, a serious shortage of properties". The decision by the Council aims to safeguard the continued availability of council houses, it said.

The Scottish Government approved the designation of pressured area status (PAS) to 35 letting areas in Aberdeen in 2007, which implemented a five-year Right to Buy suspension in those areas. That 2007 suspension expires on 4 September.

In the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, the Scottish Government made a number of changes to the implementation of PAS. The Government's role in the designation of these areas was removed, which allowed local authorities to make, amend and revoke PAS, where it can be justified.

Despite the Committee's decision to agree PAS designation for 10 years, the areas affected will be reviewed on a regular basis taking into consideration any changes to Right to Buy legislation or PAS guidance, the Council said.

A total of 9,861 tenants were contacted as part of the consultation into the proposal. Each was sent a covering letter, briefing paper, a short questionnaire, frequently asked questions and response sheet.

Of the 9,861 tenants that were consulted, about 1,324 tenants responded to the questionnaire with 56% of respondents agreeing with the proposal, 34% not agreeing and the remaining 10% selecting 'don't know'.

A total of 37% of respondents agreed that PAS should be applied for 10 years, 32% stated that five years PAS should be applied and the remaining 31% provided other responses.

"There is a real need to ensure that we maximise the use of our existing resources by ensuring that priority is given to those in the greatest housing need," said Councillor Neil Cooney, housing and environment committee convener. "The demand for housing from homeless, new applicants and those who need or want a transfer remains very high."

It is hoped that a number of recently completed affordable and council housing developments will help to alleviate the pressure on the council housing lists.

More than 18,000 council properties have been sold in Aberdeen through the Right to Buy scheme since 1980. Over the past 10 years the average number of new applicants waiting for council housing is approximately 5,500 per year with an average of 2,500 properties let each year.

During the past three years the number of properties becoming available for relet has decreased significantly and the shortage of affordable housing has resulted in longer waiting periods for people on the waiting list.