THE idea was to build “homes fit for heroes” to welcome back the soldiers who had fought bravely in the First World War.

Prime Minister David Lloyd George launched the biggest home-building scheme this country had ever seen and council houses sprung up across the nation.

But after Margaret Thatcher introduced the right to buy scheme in 1980, the availability of council homes fell, with councillors complaining more homes are now being sold than being built.

And now housing associations – which have taken over responsibility for social housing from councils in almost all areas – will be forced to sell homes to tenants under a similar right to buy policy.

Tenants will be given the opportunity to buy a property at a heavily discounted rate, allowing many to fulfil their dream of owning their home – an opportunity not open to them at present because of the very high property prices in Oxfordshire.

On the flip side, as the chief executive of Soha says, associations will be forced to sell their assets. The discounts mean they will not have a great deal of money with which to replace the lost housing stock.

Therefore, the Government should ensure that in future there is funding available for new housing so those most in need have a roof over their heads.