ABSTRACT
According to Malpass (2000), this new interest in the voluntary sector was not a Damascene conversion from the sceptical attitudes on ‘capacity’ that had prevailed earlier in the century. Rather, initially policy-makers’ attention was captured ‘despite doubts’ generated by earlier historical experiences, because of an intensified awareness of the failures of other sectors.6 During this period, extensive and generous central state support was forthcoming, providing unprecedented capital resources – whose absence had been critical in preventing growth earlier in the century – and producing a ‘golden era’ of extensive publicly backed ‘risk-free’ investment (Mullins, 2000). This support powered much of the growth in market share shown in Table 7.1, and provided a firm base for further development, even after a less generous regime had been adopted in 1988 (see below). The 1974 Housing Act was the launch pad, strengthening the Housing Corporation, whose enhanced capital funding of the sector was now accompanied by the elaboration of an increasingly dense regulatory regime. It tightly controlled the pattern of new development, aiming
The Millner Holland Report exposed ‘twilight’ areas of private renting, involving landlord exploitation – not just through exorbitant rent levels, but via ‘harrassment, extortion and colour bars’ and ‘winkling’ – coercion to move protected tenants (Power, 1993: 206 and 208). Negative folk memories of profiteering landlordism in rented accommodation going back for decades were reinforced by the infamous activities of Rachman, and Labour criticism of these practices were a key factor in helping Labour win the 1964 election (see Timmins, 2001: 189-91). The evocative televised drama Cathy Come Home, portraying victims of profiteering landlordism, directly provoked the formation of the homeless campaign organization Shelter. This in turn spawned a number of new housing associations in the late 1960s, and now supports a large network of advice and support for tenants (see discussion of ‘advocacy’ below).
