Councils weren't forced to sell off housing stock

A RECENT correspondent (Talkback, September 27) posed the question, "Can we remember when Margaret Thatcher declared that she wanted to see a property-owning democracy and forced councils to sell off their council housing and prevented them from building more homes to rent?

- Peter Fisher, Liverpool L32

The 1980 Housing Act that brought in the right to buy was in response to a crisis facing councils in providing a decent service for day to day repairs.

Back in 1978 the Labour housing minister, Reg Freeson MP, visited Kirkby over housing problems on the phase 2 gas side Tower Hill estate.

His response to the local council was simply that the government did not have the money to fund a major repair programme.