http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10910048


I wonder if they will actually take the money considering that they have to find a lot more money to build council houses.


Well they will have to do a lot more to solve the housing problem.

Considering what the average council wastes (hundreds of thousands in consultancy fees or legal cases over contract tendering, or...) I'm not convinced giving them more money to do what's their job anyway is the answer

Councils are forced to do those things by the government to ensure that they get value for money. Until councils no longer have to sell homes to tenants will they ever solve the problem. No point building homes if people just end up buying them for a discount.

The house buying thing wouldn't account for much I wouldn't have thought, not in the grand scheme of things. It's certainly not the tenants' fault, and you have to wonder just how many housing associations have been sitting on money or worse.

Either way, more houses are needed (near to mid term at least) no matter what way you come at the problem, and the overall causes of social housing need to be looked at meaningfully, as opposed to what Cameron has dreamed up

Well the council house buyers denied the councils flexibility to house people. Though from a tenants perspective it would be the rational thing to do. With cash strapped councils finding it hard to do anything regarding repairs the best option was to buy the place and repair privately. Housing associations have not helped buy building enough homes. The funding of some homes depends on the property bubble, which creates the demand for social housing as well.

More homes are needed and yet Labour failed to provide enough funding to build them. I cant see how the coalition will even build them. Even if they had the political will to do so. If they were to build the homes the NIMBY's would not allow them to be built near them.