Sir – The 60,000 or so Oxfordshire people who live in leasehold flats or houses may be impressed by the images which the main political parties are putting about before the General Election – but disappointed in how they are applied. Labour emphasises greater equality, the Conservatives swear by the ‘right to buy’ and the Lib Dems favour fairness. The Greens think that radicalism is not just about the environment and UKIP believe they have a common sense new broom. So why do none of these parties have a policy on leasehold reform to change a system which is literally a throwback to feudal times? Of the the UK-wide parties which I have researched, only the Progressive Liberals have a reform policy.
Ultra-cautious past reforms mean that people who have paid a capital sum for their flats still have to pay ground rent, are restricted in their activity in their own homes and are legally referred to as ‘tenants’.
There are so many hurdles for people wanting to buy their leases that this is virtually impossible. Many of these leases are held by enormously rich freeholders who have sometimes tried to impose unduly high management charges on freeholders.
I appeal to voters not to let the political parties ignore this important problem. These well- and sometimes public-funded bodies have not researched the issue, probably because it does not lend itself to soundbites. Their failure to come up with policies on leasehold reform is a disgrace to their lazy policy making processes.
Roger Jenking, Headington
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