ABSTRACT
State (public) sector provision for social security, health care, personal social services and social housing are very much taken for granted by many Britons today. They also feature prominently in lists of people’s concerns and directly affect the daily lives of individuals of all ages. But it was not until the 1940s that the state accepted overall responsibility for providing basic social help for all its citizens. Previously, there had been few such facilities and it was felt that the state was not obliged to supply them. British social services developed considerably from the mid-twentieth century as society and government policies changed. Reflecting this historical context, they are now divided between state (public) and private sectors.
