Council Housing, Council Housing

Looking for Council House?

Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well built homes on secure tenancies at below market rents to primarily working class people. Council house development began in the late nineteenth century and peaked in the mid-20th century. Mid-20th century council housing including many large suburban "council estates", and also many urban developments featuring tower blocks. Some of these developments did not live up to the hopes of their supporters, and now suffer from urban blight.

This led to the Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890 , which encouraged local authorities to improve the housing in their areas. As a consequence the London County Council opened the Boundary Estate in 1900, and many local councils began building flats and houses in the early 20th century. The First World War indirectly provided a new impetus, when the poor physical health and condition of many urban recruits to the army was noted with shock and alarm. This led to a campaign known as Homes fit for heroes and in 1919 the Government first required councils to provide housing, helping them to do so through the provision of subsidies, under the Housing Act 1919 . The government was no doubt encouraged by the increasing influence of the Labour party and the widespread strikes and mutinies which characterized Britain in 1919. Many houses were built in cottage estates as in Downham Estate as well as in blocks of flats, known as "council blocks". Chris Roberts, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme, Thorndike Press,2006 (ISBN 0-7862-8517-6) While new council housing had been built, little had been done to resolve the problem of inner city slums. This was to change with the Housing Act 1930 , which required councils to prepare slum clearance plans, and some progress was made before the Second World War intervened.

These include the village of Grimethorpe (which at one stage almost entirely consisted of council housing), and the Chickenley estate in Dewsbury which was unusually constructed without including a church.

Whereas in its early years, council housing was an acceptable option for much of the population, it is now increasingly an option only for those reliant on social security.

Council housing stock has sometimes been used to house those seeking refugee status ('asylum seekers'), who have no choice in their accommodation. In the south and in London in particular, demand still massively outstrips supply.

Source: Wikipedia > Council House