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McKenzie Street, Derby

Mckenzie Street, Derby

House - Birkenhead North End - Union Jack

Council house in Birkenhead, London

A council house is a local authority owned dwelling which is inhabited by a member of the public. The council have the power to evict the tenant at any time.

Most council houses were built in the postwar period to house those who found it too difficult to purchase their own house due to general widespread poverty. The houses were built cheaply and usually in large groups to form council estates.

Due to poor and rushed construction along with their age, a large amount of council houses have been demolished following structural concerns.

History[]

Council housing emerged in the postwar period as a response to the poor and overcrowded living conditions of the urban working class. The first council houses were built by municipal corporations under the Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890. After WWI, the government encouraged local authorities to build more council houses to address the shortage of housing for returning soldiers and their families. The Housing Act of 1919, also known as the Addison Act, provided subsidies and standards for council housing construction. The interwar period saw a large expansion of council estates, especially in suburban areas, with distinctive styles and layouts such as garden cities and cottage estates. By 1939, there were about 4 million council houses in Britain.

After the Second World War, council housing continued to grow as part of the post-war reconstruction and welfare state. The Housing Act of 1946, also known as the Bevan Act, increased subsidies and standards for council housing, and aimed to provide “a living room for each family”. The Housing Act of 1954 introduced the concept of “general needs” housing, which meant that council housing was no longer restricted to people who were in poverty or poor health, but instead available to anyone who needed it. The Housing Act of 1961 introduced rent rebates for low-income tenants, and the Housing Act of 1964 introduced rent allowances for private tenants. Similar to the Addison Act, The Housing Act of 1969 set a target of building 500,000 new council homes per year by 1974.

However, from the 1970s onwards, council housing faced a number of challenges and changes. The economic recession and public spending cuts reduced the funding and building of new council homes. The Right to Buy scheme, introduced by the Housing Act of 1980, allowed council tenants to buy their homes at a discounted price, which reduced the stock of council housing and increased home ownership. The Housing Act 1988 introduced private finance and competition into social housing provision, and encouraged local authorities to transfer their council housing stock to non-profit organisations such as housing associations. The Housing Act of 1996 introduced social rented sector (SRS) tenancies, which gave local authorities more flexibility in setting rents and allocating properties. The Housing Act of 2004 introduced affordable rented sector (ARS) tenancies, which allowed social landlords to charge higher rents up to 80% of market rates.

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