I NOTE remarks contained in the letter from Mr Burridge (Letters, May 3) states: “But rather like Mrs Thatcher getting rid of the council houses.”

The term “getting rid”, is misleading as Mrs Thatcher enabled thousands of council house tenants to acquire quite fair amounts of capital by her allowing them to purchase the properties of which they were tenants at a heavily reduced selling price, thus allowing them to purchase their own home by liberally based mortgages, if required.

This very creditable gesture made by Mrs Thatcher enabled many, many thousands of families to own their own homes and helped to break the “class barrier” previously existing between council house dwellers and private house owners.

It was a most successful gesture, which must never be forgotten.

PHILIP WHITELEGG, Saxonhurst Close, Northbourne