ABSTRACT
A complex organisational jigsaw had emerged in the process of building and managing mass housing estates. With government funding, channelled through local authorities, non-profit and co-operative housing organisations had grown and spread, becoming semi-public bodies with a strong participatory element. Two-thirds of social housing was built between 1960 and 1980 – a quarter of a million units out of a total of 426,000 social housing units. Almost all social housing was built in estates of over fifty units. The style of construction was conspicuous, combining non-traditional design and modern materials such as concrete or corrugated sheets. The local authority nominations could override the waiting list in a maximum of 25 per cent of vacancies for ‘social need’ or ‘hardship’ cases and in a further 30 per cent where there was urban renewal activity. For nominated households, the local authority had to underwrite the rent and make the 2 per cent deposit available through loans to the family.
