Housing Privatisation, 30 Years on: Time for a Critical Re-appraisal
26- 27 July 2010, University of Leeds, UK
Organised by: Stuart Hodkinson, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow (School of Geography, University of Leeds).
Steering group: Paul Watt (Birkbeck), Sarah Glynn (St Andrews), John Grayson (Sheffield Hallam University), Quintin Bradley (Leeds Metropolitan University), Glyn Robbins (London Metropolitan University) and Lee Crookes (University of Sheffield/MMU).
Next year marks the thirtieth anniversary of one of the most significant government policy agendas in modern British politics - the privatisation of public housing and the expansion of owner occupation. In 1980, the newly-elected Conservative government gave tenants of local authority housing ('council housing') the statutory 'Right to Buy' their council home at discounted prices. The Right to Buy was complemented by public spending cuts on housing, deregulation and a range of 'demunicipalisation' strategies aimed at transferring the remaining council housing to not-for-profit social landlords. Since 1997 New Labour has embraced this 'roll back' agenda, preventing local authorities from building new council housing despite the massive growth in housing waiting lists. At the same time, new market-based approaches, such as arms length companies, public-private partnerships, and choice-based lettings, have been 'rolled out' to what remains of the public housing stock in return for new investment to tackle disrepair. 30 years on, today less than a fifth of society lives in 'social rented housing' compared to 1980 when one-third of the population lived in council housing as a mainstream tenure of choice. At the same time, Britain is engulfed in a crisis of housing unaffordability and insecurity. In England alone, 1.8 million households - four million people - are on council housing waiting lists, nearly 100,000 live in temporary accommodation, and 54,000 households are overcrowded. While we are told by government and economists to celebrate the social and economic benefits of owner occupation and investing in the housing market, the contraction of affordable, secure, public rented housing in favour of reliance on the private sector is seen by critics as a major cause of today's housing crisis.
So, after three decades of housing privatisation in Britain, this public conference calls on academics, housing professionals, tenants' and residents' associations, policy makers, and campaigners to stand back and critically reflect on the aims, methods and, above all, consequences of this neoliberal agenda, and what lessons we can draw for future housing policy.
Keynote speakers include:
* Professor Peter Malpass (University of West England), author of Housing and the Welfare State (Palgrave MacMillan, 1995).
* Professor Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield), co-author of The Great Divide: an Analysis of Housing Inequality (Shelter, 2005)
Themes include:
* Historical emergence, role and experience of council housing (and non-market housing) in Britain
* The neoliberal turn in housing policy
* The role of think tanks, lobbyists, consultants in shaping housing policy
* British society before and after privatisation
* Winners and losers from privatisation: wealth redistribution, life chances, etc.
* Geographies of privatisation e.g. unpacking the urban/ rural, inner-city, high-rise / low-rise, devolution etc. experiences
* Council housing and social inequality - class, 'race' and gender
* Mass media representations of council housing
* Policy discourses of council housing.
* Evaluating 30 years of the Right to Buy, 20 years of stock transfer and 10 years of 'Decent Homes' including Arms Length Management
Organisations and the Private Finance Initiative
* Impact on the tenants' movement and wider political consequences e.g. class consciousness, political affiliations etc.
* Life on today's council estates, working class culture, the idea of community
* Political parties and privatisation - are they all the same?
* International influences and connections
* Wider linkages with urban regeneration, social mixing and sustainable communities, Housing Market Renewal, gentrification and the privatisation of public space
* Future housing policy
* Time for a third generation of council housing?
* Alternatives to the market: tenant Management, Coops, Community Land Trusts, squatting, eco-villages etc.
Session proposals:
If you would like to run one of these sessions or organise your own, send a session proposal with the title and its short description (within 200 words) to Stuart Hodkinson (s.n.hodkinson@leeds.ac.uk) by 1 January, 2009. All sessions will be announced on the conference website in January.
Individual papers:
Please send the title and abstract (within 200 words) of your proposed paper by 31 January, 2010. You can either wait for the official session announcement or submit now.
We very much welcome session proposals / papers / presentations from non-academics.
The programme will be completed by end of February, 2010; booking forms, prices and accommodation information will be available by then.
Keep checking the conference website:
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/research/conferences/housing-privatisation-confe
rence.html
Dr Stuart Hodkinson
School of Geography
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
0113-343-1820
s.n.hodkinson@leeds.ac.uk
Friday 4 December 2009
Age Friendly Communities in the North: People and Places 2020
The Northern Housing Consortium have conducted ground-breaking research amongst their membership to explore, understand and respond to the needs of older people in our communities, and to map out the steps the housing sector needs to take to create ‘age friendly’ homes, neighbourhoods and services which will meet the needs of future generations. The results of this major research project will be launched at an unmissable event for any one involved in the provision of services for older people: Tuesday, January 26th, 2010, York Racecourse, York.
Also featuring the first screening of Northern Silver Screen II – a collection of short films looking at best practice in age friendly and intergenerational ctivities.
Delegates at the event will:
-Receive a free copy of the publication, ‘Age Friendly Communities in the North: People & Places 2020’
-Receive a free copy of the Northern Silver Screen II DVD
-Hear latest government thinking around ensuring that homes and neighbourhoods are ‘age friendly’ and future proofing the sector as a whole
-Gain the knowledge to understand the key challenges, identify opportunities and deliver results
-Share good practice and learn from one another
-Hear about the tools and solutions available to future proof the services you deliver
For further information or to book a place, please visit:
www.northern-consortium.org.uk/Page/Events/
Also featuring the first screening of Northern Silver Screen II – a collection of short films looking at best practice in age friendly and intergenerational ctivities.
Delegates at the event will:
-Receive a free copy of the publication, ‘Age Friendly Communities in the North: People & Places 2020’
-Receive a free copy of the Northern Silver Screen II DVD
-Hear latest government thinking around ensuring that homes and neighbourhoods are ‘age friendly’ and future proofing the sector as a whole
-Gain the knowledge to understand the key challenges, identify opportunities and deliver results
-Share good practice and learn from one another
-Hear about the tools and solutions available to future proof the services you deliver
For further information or to book a place, please visit:
www.northern-consortium.org.uk/Page/Events/
NEWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
New Research
A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow (Rob Croudace, Nigel Sprigings and Kim McKee) and the Scottish Community Development Council are embarking on research for Scottish Natural Heritage with the purpose of exploring the social impacts of Scotland's natural environment. The study will consider issues such as health and well-being, volunteering and quality of life.
A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow (Rob Croudace, Nigel Sprigings and Kim McKee) and the Scottish Community Development Council are embarking on research for Scottish Natural Heritage with the purpose of exploring the social impacts of Scotland's natural environment. The study will consider issues such as health and well-being, volunteering and quality of life.
NEWS FROM TOWN & REGIONAL PLANNING, SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY
Professor Tony Crook addresses National Landlords Association conference
Professor Tony Crook addressed the National Landlords' Association conference at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham on 20-21 November. The conference, and Professor Crook’s contribution, explored the Government’s proposals in its response to the Rugg Review of the Private Rented Sector in England. For more details: http://www.landlords.org.uk/conference/nlaconference.asp
TRP staff complete major study of Private Landlords in Scotland
A team of researchers from Sheffield, with a colleague from the University of Oxford, have recently completed a major study of the ownership of privately rented housing in Scotland for the Scottish Government. Professor Tony Crook and Dr Ed Ferrari from the department, together with Professor Peter Kemp from Oxford, authored a report entitled 'Views and Experiences of Landlords in the Private Rented Sector in Scotland'. The report, which was part of the Scottish Government's programme of research into the private rented sector, is informing policy in this important area.
They key findings from the study were that private sector housing is largely owned and managed by individual landlords owning relatively small portfolios. Most now regard their properties as investments, a significant increase from previous years. In general, landlords feel that the private rented sector works well but they have a number of specific concerns about how it is regulated.
More details can be found in the Scottish Government's Research Findings summary and full report, which can be downloaded from the Scottish Government's website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/03/23140128/0
Professor Crook appointed Chair of housing charity
Professor Tony Crook was appointed Chair of housing charity Shelter’s Board of Trustees, with effect from May 1st 2009.
Professor Crook said: “It is a great honour for me to have been asked by the Trustees to serve Shelter at this critical time for our country's housing. I look forward to working with all colleagues in Shelter and partner organisations to help keep the housing needs of our country at the forefront of debates. We will ensure that Shelter continues to be an effective advocate for imaginative policies to eliminate homelessness and bad housing.”
New Project: RICS award to look at household mobility expectations
Craig Watkins, Ed Ferrari and Danielle Leahy Laughlin are undertaking research funded by the RICS that looks at the way in which survey-based data on household mobility expectations are used to forecast housing need and demand at the local level. The project is part of broader programme of work, funded in part by the Technology and Science Board, that seeks to develop the conceptual and technical basis for Strategic Housing Market Assessments.
New Project: Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban Economy (VALUE)
John Henneberry will be leading the TRP team in this major international project funded under the ERB INTERREG IVB North West Europe programme. The Sheffield team will be involved in Stated Preference Experiments that incorporate visualisations/virtual reality models to assess residents', businesses' and policy-makers' preferences and/or willingness to pay for a . The team will also undertake a more macro level assessment of the impact of green infrastructure on urban competitiveness.
New PhD students
Richard Dunning has joined TRP on a University Research Scholarship. Richard's doctoral studies will focus on modelling housing search and mobility patterns.
Reminder: HSA Annual Conference 2010
The call for Papers is open until 31 January 2010. More details can be found at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/hsa/spring10/index.html. There is also an Early Careers Stream, with discounted fees, open to PhD students and early career researchers.
Professor Tony Crook addressed the National Landlords' Association conference at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham on 20-21 November. The conference, and Professor Crook’s contribution, explored the Government’s proposals in its response to the Rugg Review of the Private Rented Sector in England. For more details: http://www.landlords.org.uk/conference/nlaconference.asp
TRP staff complete major study of Private Landlords in Scotland
A team of researchers from Sheffield, with a colleague from the University of Oxford, have recently completed a major study of the ownership of privately rented housing in Scotland for the Scottish Government. Professor Tony Crook and Dr Ed Ferrari from the department, together with Professor Peter Kemp from Oxford, authored a report entitled 'Views and Experiences of Landlords in the Private Rented Sector in Scotland'. The report, which was part of the Scottish Government's programme of research into the private rented sector, is informing policy in this important area.
They key findings from the study were that private sector housing is largely owned and managed by individual landlords owning relatively small portfolios. Most now regard their properties as investments, a significant increase from previous years. In general, landlords feel that the private rented sector works well but they have a number of specific concerns about how it is regulated.
More details can be found in the Scottish Government's Research Findings summary and full report, which can be downloaded from the Scottish Government's website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/03/23140128/0
Professor Crook appointed Chair of housing charity
Professor Tony Crook was appointed Chair of housing charity Shelter’s Board of Trustees, with effect from May 1st 2009.
Professor Crook said: “It is a great honour for me to have been asked by the Trustees to serve Shelter at this critical time for our country's housing. I look forward to working with all colleagues in Shelter and partner organisations to help keep the housing needs of our country at the forefront of debates. We will ensure that Shelter continues to be an effective advocate for imaginative policies to eliminate homelessness and bad housing.”
New Project: RICS award to look at household mobility expectations
Craig Watkins, Ed Ferrari and Danielle Leahy Laughlin are undertaking research funded by the RICS that looks at the way in which survey-based data on household mobility expectations are used to forecast housing need and demand at the local level. The project is part of broader programme of work, funded in part by the Technology and Science Board, that seeks to develop the conceptual and technical basis for Strategic Housing Market Assessments.
New Project: Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban Economy (VALUE)
John Henneberry will be leading the TRP team in this major international project funded under the ERB INTERREG IVB North West Europe programme. The Sheffield team will be involved in Stated Preference Experiments that incorporate visualisations/virtual reality models to assess residents', businesses' and policy-makers' preferences and/or willingness to pay for a . The team will also undertake a more macro level assessment of the impact of green infrastructure on urban competitiveness.
New PhD students
Richard Dunning has joined TRP on a University Research Scholarship. Richard's doctoral studies will focus on modelling housing search and mobility patterns.
Reminder: HSA Annual Conference 2010
The call for Papers is open until 31 January 2010. More details can be found at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/hsa/spring10/index.html. There is also an Early Careers Stream, with discounted fees, open to PhD students and early career researchers.
NEWS FROM CLG
Measuring and valuing public services at the neighbourhood level:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/measuringpublicservices
Review of permitted development for charging points for electric cars:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/electriccarsreview
Small scale renewables and low carbon technology:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/smallscalesummary
Economic developments delivered by the New Dimensions programme:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/newdimensionbenefitsreport
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/measuringpublicservices
Review of permitted development for charging points for electric cars:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/electriccarsreview
Small scale renewables and low carbon technology:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/smallscalesummary
Economic developments delivered by the New Dimensions programme:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/newdimensionbenefitsreport
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