Sales of houses under Right to Buy in Kirklees have risen by more than a third in a year, figures reveal.
There were 110 sales in the area in 2013/14 but this rose to 151 in 2014/15, –one of the biggest increases in England and Wales, according to the figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Across all local authorities in England, there were 16,519 social housing sales through the Right to Buy or Preserved Right to Buy schemes in 2014/15, an increase of 5.3% compared with 15,682 in 2013-14.
There have been no recorded social housing sales in Calderdale during this time.
Overall the receipts from Right to Buy Sales across England totalled £930.9m in 2014/15, up by 24% from £750.7m in 2013/14. The increase may reflect a rise in sales in London.
The 5% rise in the number of sales is a much slower increase than the big jumps in sales in the previous two years, with Right to Buy sales increasing from 3,744 in 2011/12.
The average discount, as a percentage of market value, of Right to Buy local authority dwellings sold was 46% in 2014-15. This is 1% lower than in 2013/14 but 19% higher than in 2011/12.
The average discount, as a percentage of market value, of Right to Buy registered provider dwellings sold was 52% in 2014-15 – unchanged on 2013/14 but 21% higher than in 2011/12.
There were 20,454 sales of social housing dwellings in 2014/15 – a decrease of 1% compared to 2013-14. Of these 20,454 sales, 12,489 were by local authorities, an increase of 6% compared to the 2013-14 figure. The remaining 7,965 were sold by private registered providers (a decrease of 11% compared to 2013-14.
The Right to Buy scheme was introduced in 1980 to help council and housing association tenants in England buy their home at a discount.
Since April, 2012, the maximum discounts were increased from as little as £16,000 in some areas to a maximum of up to £77,900 across England or £103,900 in London.
Government figures show that more than 33,000 households have taken up their Right to Buy since discounts were increased. It said money raised through extra sales was now going towards building new affordable homes for rent.
