THE Green Party has said tenants are losing out on affordable homes due to a council’s previous decisions to sell off old properties.

Brighton and Hove City Council has proposed spending £1.2 million to buy back two houses in Queen’s Park ward which it had sold for £190,000 in 1999.

If approved, the properties will be refurbished to provide 15 temporary accommodation flats.

The proposal will be discussed at the policy, resources and growth committee on Thursday, March 29, for final approval.

The Green Party also fears increased rent prices will make housing unaffordable for people with low income.

Demand for social housing in the city is high, with more than 17,000 people on the waiting list for council homes.

Green councillor and housing spokesman David Gibson said: “Here in Brighton and Hove we are drastically short of providing the amount of truly affordable rents and social housing the city needs.

“Instead of keeping existing homes and building more, Labour and Conservative governments sold off homes through the disastrous ‘right to buy’ scheme for years. More than 2,000 were lost to our city this way. In 2006 Labour even tried to transfer all our council housing to a housing association.

“The Labour council is now in a position of having to spend £1.2 million buying back a property it originally sold off for £190,000.

“But the loss made on buying back this home shows the flaws in flogging off our housing stock.”

The council will not reveal the exact address of the properties to “to prevent squatters entering the premises”.

A spokeswoman said: “The covenant gives us a chance to get these properties back into use as affordable housing at a good value.

“Without it they would have cost considerably more.”