Labour London Assembly Member for Ealing & Hillingdon Dr Onkar Sahota has accused the Government of “stealing” £90m of funding for new council homes in the city.
Mr Sahota said the missing money is "contributing to a disturbing situation where it is becoming more and more difficult for people in Ealing to access affordable housing, including council homes".
This accusation comes after a letter from Housing Minister Brandon Lewis admitting that between 2012 and 2014 the treasury pocketed over £90m of money raised by London councils as a result of council home sales under the controversial Right to Buy.
Dr Sahota called on the Government to return the funding to the council to enable them to build the homes which are so desperately needed.
The revelation comes despite the Government promising every "home sold under Right to Buy will be replaced by a new home for affordable rent, with receipts from sales recycled towards the cost of replacements".
Despite this pledge, a recent report from Labour London Assembly Member Tom Copley found that councils in London expect the number of homes sold under Right to Buy to far outstrip the rate they are able to build replacements over the next decade.
The report found that overall London boroughs expect 1.5 council properties to be sold over the next 10 years for every new home that will be built with outer-London boroughs forecasting two council homes would be sold for every new home completed.
Mr Sahota said: “Despite promising that Right to Buy would result in a new home for each one sold in Ealing, the Government effectively stole £90m which was meant to be spent on new homes in London.
"As a result many councils are finding it impossible to replace their lost homes, contributing to a disturbing situation where it is becoming more and more difficult for people in Ealing to access affordable housing including council homes.
“In Ealing, we are in desperate need of new affordable homes, diverting money which was meant to be reinvested in new housing is a total betrayal. Put simply, we want the money back.”
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “Since the Reinvigoration of Right to Buy, London boroughs have retained nearly £500m for replacing social housing in their local areas.
“Ealing, along with 99% of all stock holding local authorities, entered into an agreement with Government to use the additional receipts from the Right to Buy sales to fund replacement homes at affordable rent locally.
"It is disappointing that despite holding £19.1m from 265 additional sales Ealing has so far failed to deliver a single replacement property.”
