The Eclipse of Council Housing

Abstract

In the 1990s, council housing was widely criticised, rejected by government and was the object of waning public support. Yet at one time direct state provision accounted for one-third of the nation's housing stock. How did this decline come about? Originally published in 1994, Ian Cole and Robert Furbey trace the emergence, rise and decline of council housing and explore its fluctuating status within the welfare state. The authors ask whether council tenure was misconceived from the start and whether it should now be seen as a suitable case for reform, or for total abolition. They examine why, of all welfare sectors, public housing has been subjected to the most intense attack by the Conservatives since 1979, and consider why it has proved so vulnerable. Their detailed analysis charts the development of policies towards council housing and the long-term retreat into a residual tenure. A distinctive aspect of the account is its analysis of the quality of housing offered by local authorities, and the responsiveness, democracy and efficiency of housing management. Particular emphasis is given to the deal which users have received from local authorities and their varying responses to that deal. The authors also review New Right arguments for the final eclipse of state housing while at the same time discussing initiatives to reform it. The Eclipse of Council Housing presents a lucid study of a key social policy issue which was central to the housing crisis at the time, and challenges the view that council housing should be consigned to the scrapheap. It will be invaluable to all students and lecturers in social policy, housing, town planning and urban studies, as well as social policy and housing professionals.

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