Construction union UCATT have described the Government's latest Right to Buy policy proposal as ideological insanity.

The Government is planning on cutting the qualifying period before a council or social housing tenant has the right to buy their property from five to just three years. The measure has been included in the Government's draft Deregulation Bill which is in the process of undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny.

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Steve Murphy, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "This is an extreme case of ideological insanity. We are struggling with a housing crisis with millions of people on council waiting lists and the Government's only strategy is to try to sell off more housing stock."

In April 2012, the Government tried to increase the number of Right to Buy sales by increasing the maximum discount for social housing tenants from £16,000 to £75,000. In March this year, the largest possible discount for tenants in London was increased to £100,000.

The Communities and Local Government Department has spent in excess of £900,000 marketing the new Right to Buy scheme.

(CD/JP)