COUNCILLORS are due to launch a fight for York to opt out of Right to Buy laws.

In a heated final full council meeting before the election, the Labour party has this evening been successful in its bid to address the city’s escalating housing crisis by asking for York to be the first council to be made exempt from Right to Buy laws for council housing.

Meanwhile, a Conservative motion to revise the "excessive" number of new homes outlined in the draft Local Plan for York has also been passed.

The final meeting before the election has been dominated by debate over housing and resulted in a motion carried which will see the council writing to the secretary of state to make an immediate request to be exempt from Right to Buy due to the “exceptionally difficult York housing picture”.

Leading the motion, Cllr Dave Merrett told the meeting that people cannot afford to buy or rent in the city – with average rents reaching £738 in York.

Cllr Merrett said nationally for every ten council houses sold, one is built. Calling for an exemption, he said: “We have to consider all the others, often in desperate need, on our waiting lists.”

Green councillors supported the bid but Liberal democrat and Conservative councillors spoke against the plans. Conservative councillor Paul Doughty suggested removing Right to Buy was an attempt to control the lives of people and deprived people of aspiration.  

Meanwhile, a call by Conservative Cllr Paul Healy to revise the “excessive” number of homes in the Local Plan with realistic housing targets was passed.​ 

Speaking in debate before the vote, former City of York Council leader Cllr James Alexander defended the plans. In what he said would be the last time he would address councillors he said he wanted his son to be able to grow up in a city he could afford to live.

He said: "This is the biggest and most important issue for the people in this city today."

However, Green Cllr Andy D'Agorne said we should not "create a city which is a concrete jungle with the infrastructure creaking because it can't support these proposals".