The Scottish Executive designated a further Pressured Area, allowing Dumfries and Galloway Council to suspend the Right to Buy option where it is deemed appropriate. As a consequence, social housing tenants living in sixty-nine rural villages under the supervision of the Council will not be able to buy their own homes for the next five years.
The Pressured Area option was introduced in 2001, to assist councils facing particular local pressures. It helps maintain supply of affordable housing to people on low incomes in areas where the Right to Buy could otherwise lead to serious shortages. All of the villages affected have a population of 400 or less.
Council housing in Dumfries and Galloway was transferred in 2003 to a new housing association, Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership. However, the Council remains the strategic housing authority with responsibilities that include determination of Right to Buy.
The suspension of Right to Buy only applies to tenancies which commenced either on or after 30 September 2002. Around 104 current tenancies will be affected by this designation.
Celebrity scientist Professor Heinz Wolff unveiled a collection of leading edge equipment and technologies that will allow elderly and disabled people to live at home independently.
The inventor cut the ribbon on a show home in London containing mobility aids and Telecare - a communications technology that uses a telephone network as a remote means of monitoring someone in their home.
Speaking at the launch of the SmartHome, Professor Wolff said: "This is an excellent way to engage with the community and encourage them to try out the latest technology that could help to improve their lives.
"I'm delighted to open the show flat and hope that many people will take advantage of what it has to offer.
"As the UK has a population that is getting older it is important to be receptive to this and encourage the use of equipment that can allow older and disabled people to live safely and independently.
"This is about providing the right tools to allow people to lead their own lives, the way they want to."
The SmartHome is the result of collaboration between Westminster City Council, Westminster Primary Care Trust, CityWest Homes and the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF), a charity offering advice and mobility solutions to older and disabled people.
It allows people who are forgetful, frail, prone to falls, or simply at higher risk due to their age or because they live alone, to live safely and independently in their homes.
For example, a sensor activates a light when someone gets out of bed, and in the bathroom a device automatically turns off taps to prevent the bath overflowing.
Other sensors monitor the environment and activity in the home and can raise an alarm if, for example, the temperature rises rapidly or if a person falls or does not move for a long period of time.
The SmartHome is part of the Disabled Living Foundation's equipment demonstration centre in West London and a qualified therapist is available to show visitors how the equipment works.
