ABSTRACT
There is an interesting divergence in the manner in which housing policy is discussed. Most academics and housing lobbyists tend to concentrate on social housing. The majority of writing on housing is about social housing, and most housing textbooks (including this one) are dominated by this sector. However, when politicians and the mass media concern themselves with housing it is more likely to be over owner occupation. Of course, many academics and commentators have waxed long and hard over policies such as the right to buy and the use of Housing Corporation funds to boost the housing market. But most of these criticisms are based on the impact that these policies have had on the social rented sector. It is the loss of 1.3 million council dwellings and the resultant residualisation of the sector which vexes critics, not the increased choice offered to households exercising their right to buy.
