Was selling council houses to tenants a good idea?

The sale of council houses to tenants has been practiced for many years, but was significantly increased by the 1980 Housing Act that was put through Parliament by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government. This Act, and in general the sale of council houses, have had both costs and benefits, so to come to a conclusion on whether or not this was a good idea we have to analyse the changes made by the Housing Act of 1980 (and …

…bought their way out of poor areas, leaving an increasingly worse off and socially excluded minority behind them. The deficit in affordable housing has been a big problem for both those in power and those looking for permanent accommodation while also leaving behind the lower quality housing. So while it has had some benefits to both the State and the population, I believe that the sale of council houses to tenants was a bad idea.