This is how the Thatcherite dream of Britain as a nation of home-owners ends

Last Updated: May 14, 2016By

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Looking back, it’s amazing we were all so naïve…

Or it would be, if so many of us weren’t even more naïve today.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Margaret Thatcher told the UK that she wanted to sell council houses to their occupants in order to make us a “nation of home-owners” – and millions of people, quite literally, bought it.

But what happens when social housing is transferred to the private sector and not replaced?

People naturally try to sell off their ex-council homes in order to move to better housing stock. The buyers tend to be landlords, rather than new residents, meaning less housing is available to people who want to buy.

Result: House prices and private rents increase. Fewer people can afford to buy or rent.

That’s where we are today, folks.

Not a nation of home-owners; increasingly, a nation of the homeless.

So, was buying that council house back in 1984 really such a good idea?

Around double the number of private tenants are been being evicted from their homes now compared to when David Cameron first came to power, new figures show.

A total of 22,376 private renting households in England were evicted in the last 12 months – twice as many as in the same period five years ago.

The numbers, which are drawn from Ministry of Justice statistics on repossessions by county court bailiffs, as well as landlords using the accelerated procedure, come as the House of Lords tries to block the Government’s new Housing Bill, which some peers say will lead to an even bigger shortage of affordable homes in Britain.

Source: Twice as many private renters being evicted as when David Cameron first came to power | UK Politics | News | The Independent

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3 Comments

  1. Jane Owens May 14, 2016 at 9:05 am - Reply

    Why would anyone be surprised at what has transpired since the selling off of social housing? Surely, it was glaringly apparent at the time just how badly it would impact on future generations? London is now a prime example, ex council flats which only the very wealthy can afford to purchase. The selling of council homes without replenishing the stock. Did folk really believe that private landlords would take up the slack by keeping rents at an affordable rate and properties in good order?

  2. casalealex May 14, 2016 at 9:14 am - Reply

    https://speye.wordpress.com/2016/04/28/social-housing-numbers-and-social-landlord-incompetence/

    Social Housing Numbers and social landlord incompetence!
    The latest government figures released today for 2014/15 show there are 5.04 million UK social housing properties consisting of 2.14 million UK council properties (42% of total) and 2.9 million housing association properties (58%).

  3. mrmarcpc May 16, 2016 at 2:09 pm - Reply

    The British public fell for the tories 3 card trick so easily and still are, there’s still that naive, idiotic mind-set here that falls for any old BS they’re told by the right, ethnics, poor people, disabled and sick people, foreigners, Europe, they’re all bad and taking your money out of your pockets, even it’s not them but actually us, the tories, but you keep falling for our BS you thick-headed, spineless, whinging plebs!
    They fell for their nonsense about owning your own house, yes you can buy them but new ones won’t be rebuilt to take their place, hence the shortage we have and hence the bedroom tax, nice, sly way of getting more money from the peasants, under this lot, everything that old bitch envisaged will be put into practice, some of it already has and look how bad it is right now, Thatcherite Britain is a nightmare place to live in!

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