Steps to prevent shortages of affordable housing in Moray have been announced.

Moray Council's pressured area designation application has been approved by Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil.

With immediate effect, modernised Right to Buy entitlements have been suspended for five years for some tenants in the Speyside and Cairngorm National Park areas of Moray, which have now been designated as 'pressured areas'.

127 tenancies or approximately 38 percent of Morays' social housing stock in the designated area will be affected.

It will allow the local authority to retain homes for rent for people on low incomes in areas facing social housing pressures aggravated by Right to Buy.

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Mr Neil, said: "This Government is committed to doing all it can to increase the supply of affordable housing across Scotland. That is why we have agreed to Moray Council's request to suspend Right to Buy to ease the substantial pressures facing affordable housing in the region.

"These steps help to safeguard the Council's social housing stock and so alleviate the pressures on social rented properties in the area.

"This is Moray Council's third pressured area designation and brings the total number across Scotland to 15. Twelve local authorities have successfully applied for pressured area designations and I would urge other councils to consider whether it could be used as a tool for them."

A Moray Council spokesman said: "We welcome this announcement from the Minister, which will give further assistance in protecting Moray Council's housing stock.

"It follows similar approvals for other areas of Moray and all will help the council in meeting housing need in the area."

(GK)