Lesson outcome:

Did the labour government solve the housing problems between 1945-51?

Problems:Shortage

• War damage • Slum housing

Clydebank during the war, families had to take residence in army camps

The overcrowding in Glasgow was the biggest problem. It had more residents per square mile than any other city in

Europe.

Whole families had to live in flats that comprised only a kitchen/living room and one bedroom.

This overcrowding meant that disease spread easily from one family member to another, and from one house to the next.

Problems

• Responsibility fell to Bevan

• Lack of builders and materials meant private house building was restricted

Government action

• Priority to house the homeless led to the building of 'non-traditional buildings‘

• Pre-fabs, these helped temporarily

In 1945 the Department of Health for Scotland imported 2000 two-storey wooden houses direct from Sweden, 200 of which were allocated to Glasgow.

Government action

• High-Rise city housing was

originally designed as an experiment in high-rise housing, after suggestions from the Scottish Office in 1945

http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-196-172-C&searchdb=scran&PHPSESSID=qv6hpr5o7gaueipo0ipjo0tnt4

12 New towns were to be built under the New Towns act in 1946 these included towns like East Kilbride and Irvine

Government action

• 1947 Town and county planning act gave councils more planning power to re-develop helped to build 800,000 houses

• 4 council houses were built for every 1 private home

• By the early 1950s, over 2,000 new homes had been built

Three-storey tenement flats built by Glasgow Corporation at Stamford Street, Barrowfield,

photographed in 1946.

Government action

• The new houses had two or three bedrooms, separate kitchens and bathrooms.

• contained electricity and proper plumbing.

• many were semi-detached houses giving each family that little more space.

Government action

• 1949 Housing Act meant local authorities able to buy homes for improvement

• Private home owners able to get grants

Criticisms

• Made progress but by 1951 there was still a huge housing shortage, 750,000 still needed.

• Problems with Britain's balance of payments, they owed £3000m to America which was borrowed during WW II, meant cutbacks

• Shortage of materials as well as skilled tradesmen hindered progress

• Quantity of housing rather than the quality was the priority

• Many ‘prefabs’ still in use today!

Historians view: J. Hess J. Hess “The Attlee Government..did not fulfil its promise to

create a Ministry of Housing and planning..responsibility for housing remained with the Ministry of Health”

“Bevan’s record as regards house-building was poorer than that of his Conservative successor after 1951..but it must not be forgotten that he had to face grave financial and material shortages ..in the circumstances Labour’s achievement was rather better than is normally painted”.

Derek Murphy “ We shall not have won peace until every citizen in England has a good roof over his head”

Did the labour government solve the housing problems between 1945-51?

Make a Point

Explain the Point

Give an Example

There was a serious housing shortage in 1945.

during the war families had to take residence in army camps and overcrowding in Glasgow was a serious problem.

In 1945 Scotland imported 2000 two-storeyed wooden houses direct from Sweden to help solve the problem.