FI14316

Request

In reference to the previous FOI, to which you responded, could I check that the data aligns with the information provided for this [hyperlinked] Inside Housing research? 

 

I’ve noticed the percentages don’t seem to align with the findings from 2017 (article 2 re-linked) and 2015 (article 1 linked here), and am wondering if different data sets have been provided to me. For information, I would like to request an updated version of the FOI information that was provided to produce the aforementioned article, as that is the data that I am interested in. Their methodology is provided here: 

 

Freedom of Information Act requests have procured figures from 107 councils for the number of leasehold properties sold under the Right to Buy for which the leaseholder has a separate address. 

 

Please let me know if you are able to provide such.  

 

I have included extracts from the articles below in case you are unable to access the hyperlinks: 

 

  • “In Milton Keynes, the most heavily affected, 69.6% of the 1,610 leaseholds sold have away addresses.” [Extract used as an example] 
  • “Redbridge in east London stands out, with the proportion of its ex-council flats being let by private landlords rising from 24.5% to 43.9%. The number of leaseholders in the borough with an away address has almost doubled from 590 in August 2015 to 1,086. The council did not respond to a request for comment.” [Extract used as an example] 

Response

I can confirm that the data provided to you in respect of your previous request is accurate based on the information held by the Council. 

 

The Council’s retention policy means that requests dealt with in both 2015 and 2017 are no longer held.  In any event, the management of the Council’s housing stock was part of an arms-length management organisation known as East Kent Housing during those years and it may have been that body that responded to the requests made by Inside Housing, rather than the District Council.  The Council holds no records of what, if any, information was provided to requests from those years.