A New Era for Council Housing?

Abstract

Historical accounts of the development of council housing identify periods when rates of growth, levels of subsidy and standards of building varied substantially. Some periods have been marked by high levels of building of high-standard properties. The combination of changes suggests that the late 1970s and early 1980s are an important watershed in policy. The developments involved imply more than just a speeding up of existing trends. They also imply more than simply a new period of retrenchment and concentration on special needs. When the Conservative government took office in 1979 the state of housing and housing policy was far from healthy. The picture of the housing situation in England and Wales presented in the Labour government’s review of housing policy demonstrated considerable progress in dealing with housing problems. The preoccupation of the government with the encouragement of owner occupation to the exclusion of any other objectives was apparent in parliamentary debates.