The council or housing association would then be forced to sell the property and use the proceeds to buy accommodation for the tenant in another area.

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In very difficult economic times, it is a boost to local businesses - people stay in local accommodation, they buy supplies in local shops and local businesses supply our on-site catering.

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"This is where the individual or whole family is based in military accommodation and they buy or rent another home in Wales, usually in readiness for retirement but it may equally be for the purposes of holidays etc, " a spokesperson said.

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Shelter spokeswoman Rachel Orr said people on housing lists were waiting for affordable housing such as council homes, housing association accommodation or part-buy part-rent schemes.

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The difficulty, though, with the tickets not being allocated until so close to the Games is that those who are lucky enough to be able to buy them could discover that transport and accommodation prices have risen in the meantime.

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To make matters worse, rock-bottom interest rates have encouraged people to buy, rather than rent, their homes, thus reducing the supply of rented accommodation, which particularly hurts Latinos.

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That resistance might already be waning, though, with Kocherlakota giving a speech on Tuesday, just before the minutes were released, in which he noted disinflation could be around the corner and further policy accommodation would be helpful in that scenario. (Read Risky Business: Bernanke Fed Should Buy More MBS).

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