My Dad always worked full time but on low rural wages so a tiny rented cottage was all they could afford after he was demobbed. In 1960 they were allocated a 3 bed council house with large garden which was part of the big building scheme after the war. Lovely, roomy, bright houses which were very well built. They all went to local people who had previously lived in substandard tiny cottages.
They took massive pride in it as did all the neighbours. Dad used to show me the rent book with all the rules and regulations and impressed upon me that we all had to look after it because every time the rent man came round he would report any uncut hedges, neglected gardens or rubbish left around.
After about 30 years of paying full rent my Dad used to say they could have bought it with all the rent they’d paid.
He was left £10,000 in a relatives Will which was untold riches to us as after the rent was paid and we were fed there was nothing over. The Right To Buy Scheme had started so they decided to buy the council house using the generous discount. They managed to scrape together the extra £1,500 and bought the house for £11,500. They were so proud and knew they would stay there all their lives which they did.
So after living there 65 years my Mum had to sell her house to pay care home fees, my Dad having died a few years earlier. So there was no financial gain at all. Even when we sold the house we had to sell it cheaply as there was a restriction on it that meant only a person who had lived or worked locally for 3 years could buy it. On the open market the estate agent said we would have got double that. That restriction stays on the house forever. I think that’s fair enough because I am a firm believer in homes for locals.
I am also a firm believer that people who have lived and worked in this country should be given priority over people from other countries.
