ABSTRACT
About nine per cent of all housing is in the private rented sector, 68 per cent is in owner-occupation, and 23 per cent is owned by local authorities, housing associations and other social landlords. It has been observed that the decline of the private rented sector reflects its economic obsolescence in the twentieth century and that home ownership is a more appropriate form of housing provision in the context of twentieth century capitalism. This chapter shows that the growth of home ownership has occurred alongside a massive decline in the private rented sector. In its 1997 manifesto, the Labour Party pledged that it would “work with mortgage providers to encourage greater provision of more flexible mortgages to protect families in a world of increased job insecurity.” The flexible workforce has increased by 2.5 million since 1984. Historically, flexible or “atypical” employment has been concentrated on the weakest groups in the labour market.
