Social movements behind the struggle for housing

Building Societies 1775 Birmingham Mutual, self-help to let the better off working class own a house Longbridge Building Society 1793: weavers, yeomen, stonemasons, carpenter, cotton spinner “Terminating” or “Permanent” Societies Management professionalised

19 th century New Lanarkshire Chartist cottages Peabody Guinness

Peabody Trust 1862: philanthropy

Artisan’s and Labourers’ Dwellings Act 1868 Control on slum landlords

Guinness Trust Housing 1890

Royal Commission on housing of the working class1885 “Common practice in London for each family to have only a single room, for the rent of which nearly 1/3 of them paid between 25% and 50% of their wage.”

Bourneville 1893 Port Sunlight 1899

Garden city movement Freedom, cooperation and country: Ebenezer Howard:

Glasgow rent strike Rent strikes against private landlords Blocking evictions Led by Glasgow Labour Housing Association Street Committees mostly led by women Shipyard workers have wages seized to pay rent Widespread strike in the yards then general strike: stops munitions manufacture: government caves and...

1915 Act Introduces tight rent controls freezing rents at pre-1914 levels Before this 90% of housing by private landlords

Homes fit for heroes Addison Act: 1919: funds for Council housing -1939: 1 million homes, 10% of stock

Why council housing? Either –The free market in private rentals had failed: 1914 accounted for 90% of housing –Income too low to pay for decent housing –State has to intervene Or –Rent controls had made the private sector unprofitable and so had stifled investment –Rent controls continued

The 20s and 30s Expansion of owner-occupation funded by Building Societies

Prefabs

Squatting Post WWII Army camps Unallocated Council housing Houses due for demolition for flat building

stories

Tower blocks

Shelter Cathy Come Home 1966 St Martin in the Fields

Housing Finance Act 1972 Raise both private and Council rents Rent tribunals to set market rents Rent rebates for low income Council tenants means tested If Councillors refused to implement the Act they would be fined individually and a Government-appointed commissioned would implement the Act

Clay Cross Derbyshire small town: 11 councillors, all Labour Refused to implement or cooperate with Commissioner No higher rents collected Council abolished in reorganisation

Thatcher sell off 1980 Housing Act: right for council tenants to buy A property-owning democracy Low prices for longer serving tenants: 60% discount for 30-year tenants in houses; 70% for 15-year tenants in flats 1.2 million council dwellings sold Collapse of Council new build

Housing Associations Lot of Council flats left in public ownership handed over to housing associations Housing Corporation (only England) –Regulator and –Subsidies: £2 billion pa –About 50,000 a year at its peak –Abolished 2008 in the bonfire of the quangos –Homes and Communities Agency and Tenant Services Authority

1986 Building Societies Act Lets BSs become banks: –De mutualise and float shares Northern Rock –1965 Merger of two North East BSs –Invested in US sub primes –Run on NR