PROPOSALS to increase restrictions on Cotswold homeowners selling their former council houses, have not been supported by Moreton Town Council.

As previously reported, Cotswold District Council (CDC) has launched a public consultation to review section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 Restriction which restricts the resale of properties bought under the Right to Buy scheme.

However, concerns have been raised that the current policy of allowing 28 days for people living in the area to buy them before marketing them for everyone else is not long enough and it is proposed to increase the restriction from 28 days to up to 12 months.

But discussing the consultation at this month’s town council meeting, members voted to keep the current 28-day restriction in place rather than increase it.

Chairman Ali Coggins said she thought a maximum of three months would be enough.

“Selling a house is a stressful process,” she said. “If it’s been marketed properly and people haven’t seen that within three months and then the slower moving beast is our legal system you could be holding somebody back for quite a long time.”

But councillor Rod Hooper said he wanted to keep it the same.

“Why try and stop people purchasing a house?” he said.

People can comment on the proposals until 5pm on Friday, January 3, or visit cotswold.gov.uk for details.