Scotland to end 'right-to-buy' for council tenants

The Scottish Government has announced a bill that will end the 'right-to-buy' for tenants of council or housing association homes.

Introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980, right-to-buy was intended to create a property-owning democracy, and since then 500,000 council homes being sold off.

However, the scheme attracted controversy due to waiting lists for council housing remaining high.

One in four Scottish households, around 600,000, are currently in social housing.

The Bill, part of the government's 'Programme for Scotland', will be introduced in early 2010.