Housing in the Private Sector

During the period from 1950 to 1970, annual house completions in the private sector of the English house-building programme were proportionally much higher than corresponding completions in Scotland—reference is made to Tables 5.3 and 5.4. The private sector in Scotland was, and still is, uniquely small (1975), not only when compared with England, but also in comparison to many countries in Western Europe. This low rate of private house building is reflected in the number of owner-occupiers in Scotland, which is in the order of 30 per cent as opposed to 50 per cent in England. Traditionally, many Scots have not regarded themselves as potential owner-occupiers, being content to rely on rented housing in the public sector as the availability of housing in the private rental sector rapidly diminished after the Second World War.