ABSTRACT
The most important example of asset sales of the welfare state in the UK has been the sale of public sector housing to tenants (Crook, 1986; Dunn et al., 1987; Forest and Murie, 1986; 1991). It could be argued that there is no overall reduction in service levels under this policy, since the tenants usually still occupy the accommodation that they purchase. However, once the properties are sold, the local authorities no longer have the right to nominate families to these properties and this has important implications for the role of the public sector in the sphere of housing. This section examines some of the background to this important policy.
