‘Old’ and ‘New’ Welfare: The Poor Law and Social Housing in Leicestershire, c.1925-1929

Abstract

Many significant welfare reforms of the early twentieth century were intended to help people avoid becoming reliant on the poor law. Nevertheless, the latter system continued to operate alongside these reforms, such as the old-age pension and unemployment support, into the interwar period. The relationship between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ forms of welfare provision, and how they influenced and impacted upon each other at a local level, has however been relatively little explored. This is particularly true in the case of early social housing policy. Through the case study of Blaby poor law union and the Saffron Lane estate in Leicestershire, this article examines the impact of a newly-constructed housing estate on local poor law administration during the 1920s. It argues that the implementation of national welfare reforms could, within specific local conditions, push people towards the poor law rather than enable them to move away from it. The ‘old’ welfare system still had a role to play in relieving destitution, demonstrating flexibility in a changing welfare landscape.