Where did the valuation of £85000 come from ? When and how were these values arrived at ? A decent house in a decent area (as these once were) would be worth well into six figures. You might get the odd rundown terrace with no garden for that sort of money, but not 2 and 3 bed semis.
Was the condition of the estate taken into account at the time ? If so, what a con. Why not revalue them now, they would only have to fork out 20p, a half chewed toffee and a "blacky's" egg for each one as they are not saleable right now. A nice redeveloped estate where people will want to live and the houses will be worth nearly double the figures quoted.
A "very generous" assistance package ? yeah right, so generous most of it has to be paid back, so not generous at all really is it ? I am only surprised they haven't jumped on the housing crisis bandwagon and tried to push the figures down. Someone is not playing by the rules and are hoping people will just give in.