The number of council tenants using the Right to Buy scheme to get on the property ladder almost doubled last year, data has revealed. The Right to Buy scheme allows most council tenants to buy their council home at a discount to the market value. Since the start of the Right to Buy scheme in 1980, there have been over two million sales to council tenants. Are the council homes sold being replaced? 'Right to Buy has been brilliant at creating individual homeowners, but terrible at replacing the social homes it removes.