Privatisation and the death of public housing (May 2020)
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Privatisation and the death of public housing
By Stuart Hodkinson, published in Safe as Houses, on 18 May 2020.
(paid access)
Abstract:
This report gives an insight into the history of public housing in the UK, from its emergence as part of a wider collective resistance to its (possible) demise.
The report explains how public housing represented both the partial decommodification of shelter and the protection of residents’ health and safety through a wider system of building regulation and control.
Subsequently, these qualities - the paper argues - is what made public housing a target for privatisation and demunicipalisation policies
Privatiation and demuncipalisation policies have financialised housing and land for profit-seeking corporate interests, and resulted in the rolling back of building regulations and the rolling out of self-regulation, which has weakened building safety and residents’ ability to hold their landlords to account.
Keywords: UK, England, public housing, social housing, affordable housing, privatisation of housing, building regulations, financialisation of housing