Proposed legislation to end the right of council tenants to buy their home has been welcomed by Caerphilly Assembly Member Hefin David.
Introduced in 1980 by the Thatcher government, the Right to Buy scheme has seen 139,000 council and housing association homes sold.
Caerphilly AM Hefin David said: “The loss of such a significant amount of social housing has led to real problems in this community. Constituents often come to me in desperate need of housing and tell me they have been waiting for social housing for many years.”
He added: “The security of tenancy that social housing brings is vital to families, especially when they have school-age children. So it is crucial we protect the stock we have and protect the stock we are building.”
Tenants will get at least one year to apply to buy homes under the old rules if the Bill becomes law.
The Welsh Conservatives oppose the proposed new law.
The party’s housing spokesman, David Melding AM, said: “There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in Wales because Labour hasn’t built enough affordable homes, and not because council tenants have had a chance to buy theirs.”
Plaid Cymru has said it supports abolishing the Right to Buy scheme in Wales, while UKIP’s South Wales East AM, Mark Reckless, said that his party would be fighting the plans.