Council houses in Kirklees have been sold with an overall £4m discount.

Kirklees Council had to sell 110 council homes last year in the borough as part of the government’s Right to Buy deal.

The deal gives every council house tenant a right to buy their home at a discounted rate.

But senior councillors slammed the government deal as “stealing” council assets.

The Examiner has figures for every council house sold last year – the market value and the discount offered under the deal.

The overall discount adds up to £4.3m.

The largest discount was a reduction of £66,000 for a three-bed council house, which had a market value of £110,000 but was sold for £44,000.

Another worth £120,000 was sold for £54,000 – also a discount of £66,000.

One two-bed house was reduced from a market value of £95,000 and sold for £38,000 – a discount of £57,000.

While one two-bed council flat valued at £60,000 was sold for just £18,000.

Clr David Sheard, Cabinet member for Resources and deputy leader, said they were “stolen” from the cash-strapped local authority.

He said: “The Secretary of State Eric Pickles has written to tenants asking them to buy their council houses. He isn’t giving them a discount – he’s saying the councils have to give them a discount.”

Clr David Sheard
Clr David Sheard

Clr Sheard claimed residents who do not even live in council houses were getting letters and added: “Private rented tenants are getting letters for houses that have already been stolen off us by speculators to rent out to the public by slum landlords.

“It’s stealing from the local authority left, right, and centre.”

From April 2012 to December 2012 there were 48 properties sold as part of the Right to Buy deal.

From April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, a further 110 council houses were sold.

Last year the authority sold one one-bed house, 39 two-bed houses, 48 three-bed houses two four-bed houses, one two-bed bungalow, one two-bed maisonette, seven flats and 11 two-bed flats.

In Kirklees the average discount is around £36,000 per property.

Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan spoke of the impact of the Right to Buy on the council adding: “We have 14,000 people waiting for a council house.

“The housing crisis is getting worse and yet our council houses are ending up in the hands of private landlords.

“We get a token amount back but it is nowhere near the amount to build a replacement council house.

“And because we have less council stock we’re having to put people in private properties which have higher rents.”