HOUSING campaigners in Swindon have called for an end to the government’s Right to Buy scheme.

It comes after statistics released by housing industry publication Inside Housing show that 333 homes have been sold in Swindon since 2010 but only 72 replacements have been built or bought using RTB receipts.

In March last year, Gavin Barwell, the then housing minister, said that RTB only had any “political justification” if homes sold are replaced by new homes built. But Inside Housing found that, nationally, only around a quarter of homes sold under RTB are being replaced.

Martin Wicks, secretary of Swindon Tenants’ Campaign Group, said: “RTB has been a disaster. It has created a massive shortage of council homes which forces people who can’t afford a mortgage into the private rented sector, which has much higher rents. The private sector also has the highest level of non-decent homes.

“We believe that RTB should be ended. We need more council homes. Even if all homes sold were replaced, there are only 1.6 million council homes left in England. We need to increase the number significantly.”

Swindon has around 200 fewer council properties than it had in 2011. The number of council houses in England has declined 208,000 since 2010.

Mr Wicks added: “Ultimately, the only way to resolve this shortage is to stop RTB and fund a large-scale council house building programme. Without that there is no way that sufficient homes with genuinely affordable rent will be built.”

But the Conservatives defended their record on housing, insisting that the town is “well on its way” to building more affordable homes.

Councillor Cathy Martyn, the cabinet member for housing and public safety, said: “We support a full range of policies to provide new homes and I am delighted that in the last 12 months over 1,500 new homes were completed.”

“The council is complementing the work of private developers at Badbury Park and Tadpole Village with new houses for sale at Euclid Terrace, the new flats and homes at Sussex Place, and other projects across the borough that provide a mix of private and affordable homes.”

Coun Martyn added that she was not opposed to the council building more council houses because in time these too could be purchased by tenants under RTB legislation.

She said: “With the additional 149 new homes agreed at cabinet in March, Swindon’s Conservative-run council is well on its way to reaching its target of affordable homes.”

But Labour dismissed the Tories claims that housing is safe in their hands.

Jim Grant, leader of the Labour Group, said: “These figures show yet again that the Conservatives have failed to build sufficient council housing, despite all the bluster from the government.”

He added: “This is an economic issue for the taxpayer as well as those on the housing waiting list. Housing benefit is being diverted to expensive private rented accommodation as there aren’t enough council houses to accommodate the poor.”