ABSTRACT

This chapter outlines changing housing policy in Britain since 1945, highlighting the ideological differences between the two major political parties and demonstrating how in practice such views have been modified in face of the need to secure electoral support and to contain public expenditure. The suburban pattern of development was very marked and obvious in the case of Birmingham, but variations on this pattern could be found in most industrial cities and towns in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s. The housing associations, which form the voluntary sector, have had a lengthy history in Britain. Because of the pressing need for housing in the immediate post-war years, temporary prefabricated dwellings were introduced. The post-war Labour Government had strengthened the rent control system of the 1920s and 1930s, and at the outbreak of war, the 1930 and 1938 Rent Acts were retained until six months after the end of the hostilities.