The government is considering exempting newly-built council housing from the Right to Buy for a set period after completion, in one of several proposed reforms of the policy designed to help local authorities protect their stock. 

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has today published a consultation paper outlining several ways the policy could be reformed.This follows Labour’s election manifesto pledge to increase “protections on newly-built social housing”.

In today’s paper, MHCLG is calling for views on whether newly-built social housing should be exempt. Currently council tenants can buy a home with a discount as soon as three years after they move into a property. The MHCLG paper says this disincentives councils from investing in new housing