Steps to prevent serious shortages of affordable housing in North Lanarkshire have been announced.

Right to Buy has been temporarily suspended for some tenants in all letting areas in Cumbernauld and Moodiesburn, which have now been designated as 'pressured areas'. This will immediately affect 1,596 council tenancies.

This follows the Communities Minister Stewart Maxwells' decision to approve North Lanarkshire Council's pressured area application, and will allow the Council 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 Maxwell said: "This Government is doing everything within the powers we possess to increase the supply of affordable housing across Scotland.

"In our first year in office more public sector houses were started than at any time since 1997. Meanwhile helping the housing industry is a major part of our Scottish Economic Recovery Plan.

"Accepting North Lanarkshire Council's request to suspend Right to Buy will ease the substantial pressures facing affordable housing in Cumbernauld and Moodiesburn.

"Local authorities have responded extremely positively to our invitation to apply for a share of £25 million to reverse decades of decline in council house building. This, along with our plans to end the right to buy on all new build social housing, will help kick start a new generation of council house building and safeguard investment in affordable housing.

"North Lanarkshire is the eleventh local authority to have successfully applied to use the pressured area mechanism and I would ask other councils to consider whether it could be used as a suitable tool by them."

(CD/JM)