Brighton Leads “Right to Buy in Reverse” Revolution to Tackle Social Housing Crisis
Council invests £50 million to buy back homes from private landlords and rebuild public housing stock
In a bold move to tackle one of the most acute housing crises in the UK, Brighton and Hove City Council has launched a £50 million programme to buy back homes from private landlords, reversing decades of decline in social housing caused by the Thatcher-era Right to Buy policy.
The initiative — described as “Right to Buy in reverse” — will see the council acquire 200 homes over the next two years, returning them to public ownership to help reduce homelessness and the city’s soaring temporary accommodation costs.
Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said:
“We’re taking direct action to rebuild Brighton’s social housing stock. The housing crisis here is so severe that families and key workers are being priced out of their own city. By buying properties back into public hands, we’re tackling the root causes — unaffordable rents, rising homelessness, and the loss of social homes to the private market.”
Reversing Four Decades of Decline
Since Right to Buy was introduced in 1980, Brighton and Hove has lost over a third of its council housing stock, with many former social homes converted into private rentals or student HMOs.
The result is a market where house prices rival London’s, yet local wages remain far lower — pushing more families into housing insecurity.
Currently, around 5,000 households are on the city’s housing register, and the council estimates that a child born today could finish school before their family reaches the top of the list. Homelessness is rising sharply, with up to 10 new people sleeping rough each week.
Meanwhile, the cost of temporary accommodation is spiralling. The council expects to overspend its budget by £3.8 million this year, with nearly all of that money going to private landlords.
A National Model for Affordable Housing
Brighton’s approach could serve as a national blueprint for addressing the UK’s wider housing emergency. Across England, 1.3 million families are waiting for a social home, while more than 164,000 children are living in temporary accommodation — double the figure from 2012.
David Chaffey, Chief Executive of BHT Sussex, a local housing and homelessness charity, said:
“Without affordable housing, local economies suffer. We’ve seen people in full-time work forced to sleep in cars because rents are unaffordable. Brighton’s acquisition programme is a vital step toward restoring balance and dignity.”
A Call for National Backing
While Labour’s national plan to build 1.5 million new homes has been welcomed, Brighton’s leaders warn that building alone won’t solve the crisis — especially in land-constrained coastal cities like Brighton, where development sites are limited by the sea and the South Downs National Park.
“This is about rebuilding the social foundation of Britain,” Taylor added. “We need central government to match local ambition with national funding. Every home we buy is one less family trapped in temporary accommodation — and one more step toward a fairer housing system.”
