HOW interesting that two Conservative MPs, one of whom is local MP Paul Holmes, on addressing a meeting on housing, hosted by Lloyds Bank (Echo 16th November), should call for a large-scale council house building programme.

Ever since Margaret Thatcher’s bribe to tenants under the Right to Buy Scheme, the Tories, when in Government, have implemented this policy with great zeal.

This, together with abysmally low rates of new council house building, has resulted in a huge reduction of social housing.

Furthermore, many of the houses and flats sold under the Right to Buy Scheme are now rented out by multi property-owning landlords at rents far above those charged by councils.

Ben Everitt, the other MP at the event, declared “the housing market was broken at every stage,” conveniently forgetting the major contribution of his Party towards this state of affairs.

In a bid to counter Labour’s proposals at the 2019 General election, the Tory manifesto gave a commitment to provide £10 billion a year for new building of social rent housing.

Given their recent enthusiasm for such an investment, we look forward to all Conservative MPs pressing the Government to make good this promise.

Glyn Tudor

Southampton