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Ian H

Squire
From 100 years of council housing
Page 9
Figure 2: Milestones in the history of council housing 1919 – 2019
1918: Prime Minister David Lloyd George promises “homes fit for heroes”, following the end of the First
World War. At the time it is estimated that the stagnation of construction over the war years has
resulted in a shortage of some 900,000 homes, and this is without clearing existing slums.
1919: The Addison Act introduces generous subsidies for local authorities to build social housing for
tenants at fair rents, with an additional financial carrot for houses that embodied new forms of
construction, which might speed up delivery and reduce costs. The immediate aim was to build
500,000 homes over three years.
1921: The Building Research Station is set up, with the aim of applying building science to the design
and delivery of innovative construction methods and materials.
1919-1939: Over 1 million council houses are built (averaging some 50,000 a year). These are targeted
at working families rather than the impoverished.
1939-1945: 450,000 homes had been made uninhabitable or were destroyed due to bombing, while
only temporary homes were built to accommodate the displaced.
1946: The Housing Act raised subsidies and contributions for council housing, to increase the total
number of homes. ‘Pre-fabs’ and system-built homes promoted successfully as a short-term solution.
The New Towns Act 1946 leads to large-scale social and private housing development in planned
communities across the country.
1946-1960: Nearly 2 million new council homes built in a decade. Many factory systems with intended
short lifespans.
1960-1970: High levels of council building maintained, move to high rise accommodation in urban
areas and open plan estates in suburbs. Parker Morris space standards introduced. High levels of
private housebuilding, as working families aspire to ownership, which is associated with social mobility.
1970-1980: 1974 Housing Act introduces General Improvement Areas and Housing Action Areas.
Housing associations rise in importance with expansion of Housing Corporation in 1974. Capital grant
(HAG) to housing associations to finance acquisition and rehabilitation of private dwellings.
Completions of housing association homes rises from 8,300 per year in 1973 to 24,000 per year in
1977. Decline of council house building to around 100,000 units a year, on average.
1979: New Conservative Government introduces Right to Buy (RTB) to encourage tenants to purchase
their own homes. Introduction of Priority Estates Project targets funds on poor public sector estates.
Parker Morris standards dropped to save cost.
1980-1990: Sales of council homes averages 110,000 per annum in the 1980s, while new construction
falls to around 32,000 units per annum.
1990-2000: Following the 1986 Housing Act, Housing Stock Transfers (Housing Action Trusts and
Large-Scale Voluntary Transfer) are promoted from local authorities to housing associations
(Registered Social Landlords), while levels of RTB fall. Most new social housing built by housing
associations. By 1993 new council house building has practically fallen to zero.
2001 New Labour Government introduces the Decent Homes programme to aim to provide all social
housing tenants with a decent home within the 10-year intended life of the programme.
2010 - 2018 – Levels of social housing in England lower than ever (4.1 million homes in 2018
compared with highest level of 5.2 million in 1979). Most now owned or managed by housing
associations. Still 13% social rented homes non-decent.

https://files.bregroup.com/bretrust/100_years_of_council_housing.pdf
 
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