From ‘Homes Fit For Heroes’ to a housing crisis
When the guns fell silent in Europe on May 8, 1945, Britain faced a shattered landscape — not only cities scarred by bombs but families desperate for somewhere decent to live.
The government of the day, led by Clement Attlee, recognised that housing was not just a private matter — it was a national responsibility.
They promised to build “homes fit for heroes” — for the men and women who had endured the war, for their families, and for the next generation.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
The post-war housing revolution
In the years after WWII, the UK enjoyed a remarkable burst of public ambition:
- Council housing boom — local authorities were empowered and funded to build high-quality homes across the country.
- New estates and prefabs — these were designed to rehouse bombed-out families and relieve slum conditions.
- Affordable rents — public housing was designed to be accessible to ordinary working families, not just the poorest.
For decades, millions of people grew up in secure, well-maintained council homes. Home was not an asset or an investment; it was a right, a foundation for family life, community, and stability.
This was the social contract the post-war generation believed in — and for a time, it worked.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
What went wrong?
By the 1980s, the housing landscape was changing.
- Right to Buy, introduced under Margaret Thatcher, allowed tenants to purchase their council homes at discounted rates — a popular policy, but one that saw the council housing stock drain away. Crucially, sold homes were not replaced.
- Successive governments put their faith in the private market to supply housing, cutting back public building programmes.
- Speculative development turned housing into an investment vehicle, with buy-to-let landlords and property speculators driving up prices.
- Wages stagnated while housing costs soared, pushing homeownership out of reach for millions.
Today, Britain’s housing crisis is not just about house prices — it’s about the collapse of the post-war vision of secure, affordable, decent homes for all.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
The housing crisis today
Here’s what the housing situation looks like in the UK, in 2025:
- Young people are locked out of homeownership and forced into expensive, insecure rentals.
- Families are spending 40 per cent or more of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.
- Council waiting lists stretch for years, while luxury flats stand empty as investment assets.
- Rough sleeping and hidden homelessness are rising alarmingly.
- A generation of children are growing up in temporary accommodation or overcrowded homes.
In short: the very idea that housing is a public good has been hollowed out.
Why can’t we fix it?
Let’s be blunt: the United Kingdom is far wealthier today than it was in 1945. We have the resources, the materials, and the know-how to build the homes people need.
But we don’t have the political will.
- Governments are reluctant to challenge developers, landlords, and vested interests.
- Politicians fear alienating homeowners or damaging house prices.
- Economic orthodoxy insists we “can’t afford” large-scale public housebuilding.
And so we drift, year after year, deeper into a housing crisis that punishes renters, young families, key workers, and the vulnerable — while rewarding those lucky enough to own already.
A choice for our generation
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we need to ask:
If a bombed-out Britain could build homes fit for heroes, why can’t today’s Britain build homes fit for the future?
This is a choice.
It’s a matter of priorities, courage, and belief — the same kind of belief that built the welfare state and the NHS from the rubble of war.
We don’t lack the means. We lack the will.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Share your housing story
Are you struggling to afford rent or find secure housing?
Did you or your family grow up in council housing — what was that experience like?
Do you work in housing, development, or homelessness support — what realities do you see?
What changes do you think Britain needs to solve the housing crisis?
We want to hear from you.
Email us your story, comment below, or join the conversation on social media.
The post-war generation rebuilt a nation. Will we have the courage to rebuild its promises?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
80 Years after VE Day: where are OUR ‘Homes Fit For Heroes’?
From ‘Homes Fit For Heroes’ to a housing crisis
When the guns fell silent in Europe on May 8, 1945, Britain faced a shattered landscape — not only cities scarred by bombs but families desperate for somewhere decent to live.
The government of the day, led by Clement Attlee, recognised that housing was not just a private matter — it was a national responsibility.
They promised to build “homes fit for heroes” — for the men and women who had endured the war, for their families, and for the next generation.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
The post-war housing revolution
In the years after WWII, the UK enjoyed a remarkable burst of public ambition:
For decades, millions of people grew up in secure, well-maintained council homes. Home was not an asset or an investment; it was a right, a foundation for family life, community, and stability.
This was the social contract the post-war generation believed in — and for a time, it worked.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
What went wrong?
By the 1980s, the housing landscape was changing.
Today, Britain’s housing crisis is not just about house prices — it’s about the collapse of the post-war vision of secure, affordable, decent homes for all.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
The housing crisis today
Here’s what the housing situation looks like in the UK, in 2025:
In short: the very idea that housing is a public good has been hollowed out.
Why can’t we fix it?
Let’s be blunt: the United Kingdom is far wealthier today than it was in 1945. We have the resources, the materials, and the know-how to build the homes people need.
But we don’t have the political will.
And so we drift, year after year, deeper into a housing crisis that punishes renters, young families, key workers, and the vulnerable — while rewarding those lucky enough to own already.
A choice for our generation
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we need to ask:
This is a choice.
It’s a matter of priorities, courage, and belief — the same kind of belief that built the welfare state and the NHS from the rubble of war.
We don’t lack the means. We lack the will.
Help fund great articles! We’re aiming for £50 to cover research and reporting time this week.
Can you chip in £3 today?
👉 https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Share your housing story
Are you struggling to afford rent or find secure housing?
Did you or your family grow up in council housing — what was that experience like?
Do you work in housing, development, or homelessness support — what realities do you see?
What changes do you think Britain needs to solve the housing crisis?
We want to hear from you.
Email us your story, comment below, or join the conversation on social media.
The post-war generation rebuilt a nation. Will we have the courage to rebuild its promises?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
you might also like
Osborne wants a ‘year of hard truths’. Here’s one: He’s HIDING the truth
Was Stephanie Bottrill a victim of corporate manslaughter?
Sink, Britain, Sink! – the cost of privatising water management