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
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
Three-storey tenement flats
built by Glasgow Corporation at
Stamford Street, Barrowfield,
photographed in 1946
.
• 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
Government action
• The new houses had two
or three bedrooms,
separate kitchens and
bathrooms.
• contained electricity and
proper plumbing.
• many were semidetached 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.