In March 1971, Mr Gibson completed the application form with the exception of the date on which his lease was to end, and returned it to the council.

I venture to think that it was by departing from this conventional approach that the majority of the Court of Appeal was led into error.

My Lords, the words I have italicised seem to me, as they seemed to Geoffrey Lane LJ, to make it quite impossible to construe this letter as a contractual offer capable of being converted into a legally enforceable open contract for the sale of land by Mr. Gibson's written acceptance of it.

It is, to quote Geoffrey Lane LJ, a letter setting out the financial terms on which it may be the council will be prepared to consider a sale and purchase in due course.

One can sympathise with Mr Gibson's disappointment on finding that his expectations that he would be able to buy his council house at 20 per cent below its market value in the autumn of 1970 cannot be realised.

Whether one thinks this makes it a hard case perhaps depends upon the political views that one holds about council housing policy.