A LIBERAL Democrat's call to end the Cotswolds' 'housing crisis' by opposing proposals to extend the Right to Buy Scheme to housing association tennants has been scuppered.

Cotswold District Council's Lib Dem leader Joe Harris told fellow councillors that 1,300 people in the district were already on the authority's housing waiting list and extending the criteria would mean fewer houses would be available.

dragged the issue to council with the shocking statistic that 1,300 people were on the authority’s housing waiting list.

“I just think the way we are targeting housing in the wrong way,” said Cllr Harris, who said the average house price in the Cotswolds is 18 times the average income.

“What we lack most is social rented housing. It’s all very well to have a drive to home ownership – which I support – but for many owning a home is increasingly out of reach.

“There’s 1,300 people waiting for housing, but it’s not just them it affects, it’s their families, their parents, their children.”

However, his plans were vetoed by the all-Conservative cabinet, who although expressed sympathy for the motion, said there was too much housing policy swirling nationally and locally to make a commitment to opposing the government plans.

Cllr Sue Jepson, cabinet member for planning and housing, said: “We have got to wait before we make any decisions, we need to hang fire a little bit.”

Council leader Lynden Stowe said: “I think the government has got it right in wishing to see more people in the ownership market. I’m worried when I see how ownership has dropped over five years from around 70 per cent to around 63 per cent.”

He also raised concerns that national housing associations were selling off housing stock in the Cotswolds to buy cheaper and easier to maintain stock elsewhere in the country.

“Some of our settlements will feel they’re being overwhelmed with social housing while some feel they do not have enough,” he said, before asking officers to look into whether Local Plan policy could proscribe different levels of social housing to different places.

The cabinet voted to 'consider the motion and await clarification on the government’s proposals and the consultation on Cotswolds' Local Plan and the Housing Strategy'.

After the vote Cllr Harris said he was disappointed, saying a ‘rent to own’ scheme could go some way to solving the problem.

He added: “It’s all very well to rely on the private sector but we should be building our own houses.”