The Right to Buy?: Selling off public and social housing

by Alan Murie

Overview

The Right to Buy has had a massive impact on Housing in the UK for 35 years and in 2015 there were proposals to extend it. But what is the Right to Buy policy, how has it developed and what has its impact been? What evidence is there about the wider and unintended consequences of the policy? How are the proposals to extend the policy in England likely to affect future housing provision and what alternatives are there?

In The Right to Buy, Alan Murie provides an authoritative account of the origins, development and impact of the policy across the UK and proposals for its extension in England (and decisions to end it in Scotland and Wales). Presenting up-to-date statistical material the book engages with debates about transfers to private renting, the impact on public expenditure and on the current housing situation, addresses the proposals for new legislation and details the potential impact of these. It is an essential read for anyone interested in this highly topical issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447332077
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

Alan Murie is Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Studies at Birmingham University. A former Director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies and Head of the School of Public Policy at the University of Birmingham, he has been involved in research and written widely on Housing, Housing Policy and related issues in the UK and Europe, including privatisation of housing and the Right to Buy in different parts of the UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction;

Selling public housing: Precursors and preconditions;

The Right to Buy 1980-2015;

Right to Buy: Statistics and impact;

A policy commentary;

The next phase: Extending the right to buy in England;

Conclusions: The right to buy and beyond.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Alan Murie is the UK expert on the Right to Buy. He provides an in-depth and accessible assessment of the policy, its past, present and future, informed not least by his work in this area over the last 35 years." Peter Williams, University of Cambridge

"Students and policy makers alike will enjoy this concise and research based review of one of the most widely discussed housing policies of the past 50 years from the leading author on the topic." David Mullins, University of Birmingham

Editorial Reviews

"In the context of fast-moving change, [this] book provides a welcome and objective policy analysis." LSE Review of Books

“Professor Alan Murie’s latest book on the right to buy has the hallmarks of someone who has been studying the subject for a long time and knows it to a very fine level of detail, but who is still able to offer new insights and perspectives.” People, Place and Policy

From the Publisher

"In the context of fast-moving change, [this] book provides a welcome and objective policy analysis."

LSE Review of Books

Students and policy makers alike will enjoy this concise and research-based review of one of the most widely discussed housing policies of the past fifty years from the leading author on the topic.

David Mullins

Murie’s latest book on the right to buy has the hallmarks of someone who has been studying the subject for a long time and knows it to a very fine level of detail, but who is still able to offer new insights and perspectives.

Place and Policy People

Murie is the UK expert on the Right to Buy. He provides an in-depth and accessible assessment of the policy, its past, present, and future, informed not least by his work in this area over the last thirty-five years.

Peter Williams