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London Councils calls for ‘Addison alliance’ to boost housebuilding
London Councils has called on the new government to help deliver a boost “of historic proportions” to local authority housebuilding on the centenary of the Addison Act today.
The umbrella body for the capital’s 32 boroughs and the City of London said an “Addison alliance” between local and central government is needed to ease housing shortages.
One hundred years ago today, the Addison Act was signed into law giving local authorities new powers and funding to build thousands of homes – leading to a number of large estates in London.
London Councils said boroughs are committed to develop at scale once again but face obstacles, such as government restrictions on the use of Right to Buy receipts and a lack of clarity from ministers over long-term social rent levels.
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Around 55,000 London households are in temporary accommodation – nearly 70% of England’s total homelessness – while 250,000 are on housing waiting lists with backlogs of up to 25 years.
Housing grant funding in London is devolved to the Greater London Authority.
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Building Council Homes for Londoners programme last year was heavily oversubscribed, with councils submitting bids to deliver 17,000 new homes – 6,000 more than the money available could pay for.
In 2016/17, 3,138 council homes were sold through the Right to Buy in London, while only 1,445 were built to replace them.
Darren Rodwell, executive member for housing and planning at London Councils and leader of Barking & Dagenham Council, said: “As we mark 100 years since the passing of the Addison Act, it’s time to turbocharge council housebuilding through a new Addison alliance between central and local government.
“We want to work with the government to address restrictions on our ability to build. Through just a few key policy changes, the government could have a massive impact.
For example, ending the unfair rules around the use of Right to Buy receipts would mean all money raised from council house sales in London could go back into building replacement homes.”
He said he hoped the new housing minister, Esther McVey, would support new council homes as a “boost to blue-collar communities” – which Ms McVey has focused on heavily in her career.
Why is council housing important?
As the sector celebrates #100yearsofcouncilhousing you've been taking to Twitter to answer our question - why is council housing important?
Here are some of your responses:
Today's a very special day! On 31 July 1919 the landmark 'Addison Act' paved the way for large scale council housing. Tell us why council housing is important and what needs to happen now #100yearsofcouncilhousing #ukhousing #localgov pic.twitter.com/zGPiY0ELjN
— Inside Housing (@insidehousing)Today's a very special day! On 31 July 1919 the landmark 'Addison Act' paved the way for large scale council housing. Tell us why council housing is important and what needs to happen now #100yearsofcouncilhousing #ukhousing #localgov pic.twitter.com/zGPiY0ELjN
— Inside Housing (@insidehousing) July 31, 2019
I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth)I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing https://t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth)I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing https://t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth) July 31, 2019
Because it has provided the foundations for millions of people to build their lives on; is the backbone of so many communities and remains something that this country still desperately -needs - truly affordable homes for people who need them!
— Jim Dean MBE CIHM (@JJDHousing)Because it has provided the foundations for millions of people to build their lives on; is the backbone of so many communities and remains something that this country still desperately -needs - truly affordable homes for people who need them!
— Jim Dean MBE CIHM (@JJDHousing) July 31, 2019
I grew up in private rented house and rehoused to @WiganCouncil house at 13 -got my own bedroom to do my homework in and a bathroom to scrub up in. I owe my #ukhousing career and happy life to that start my parents and my home gave me-we need more #socialhousing t.co/yAXcw8ZDZc
— Gordon Perry (@gordonphousing)I grew up in private rented house and rehoused to @WiganCouncil house at 13 -got my own bedroom to do my homework in and a bathroom to scrub up in. I owe my #ukhousing career and happy life to that start my parents and my home gave me-we need more #socialhousing https://t.co/yAXcw8ZDZc
— Gordon Perry (@gordonphousing) July 31, 2019
This is the Council home I grew up in. Safety & security, a foundation to grow & a community where we looked out for one another. If we didn't have this, who knows what life would have looked like. Everybody deserves a home they can call their own. #100yearsofcouncilhousing pic.twitter.com/41OkAQ9OC1
— Dave Lockerman (@dave_lockerman)This is the Council home I grew up in. Safety & security, a foundation to grow & a community where we looked out for one another. If we didn't have this, who knows what life would have looked like. Everybody deserves a home they can call their own. #100yearsofcouncilhousing pic.twitter.com/41OkAQ9OC1
— Dave Lockerman (@dave_lockerman) July 31, 2019
To mark #100yearsofcouncilhousing I retweet the story of all the council homes That have been part of my life and that of my family. They are My Back Pages. t.co/WB0bD14ceD
— Tom Murtha (@tomemurtha)To mark #100yearsofcouncilhousing I retweet the story of all the council homes That have been part of my life and that of my family. They are My Back Pages. https://t.co/WB0bD14ceD
— Tom Murtha (@tomemurtha) July 31, 2019
I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth)I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing https://t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth)I was born and grew up in council housing and I am proud to work in a job @PlatformHousing where I can make a difference to #ukhousing #100yearsofcouncilhousing https://t.co/OWumOAT1FY
— Andy Howarth (@its_AndyHowarth) July 31, 2019
A landmark day in housing history. This day 100 years ago saw the introduction of council housing in Britain. Imagine what the lives of thousands of people would have been without the provision of council properties. It’s worthy of a minute’s silence. t.co/sWY2ZMSpda pic.twitter.com/GEHiLTzxFB
— Dr Angela Maye-Banbury (@DrAMayeBanbury)A landmark day in housing history. This day 100 years ago saw the introduction of council housing in Britain. Imagine what the lives of thousands of people would have been without the provision of council properties. It’s worthy of a minute’s silence. https://t.co/sWY2ZMSpda pic.twitter.com/GEHiLTzxFB
— Dr Angela Maye-Banbury (@DrAMayeBanbury) July 31, 2019
As a kid from a council estate, brought up in poverty, who is now head of housing for two local authorities, the importance of council housing will never be lost on me
— Gary Hall (@wrexhamred78)As a kid from a council estate, brought up in poverty, who is now head of housing for two local authorities, the importance of council housing will never be lost on me
— Gary Hall (@wrexhamred78) July 31, 2019
.@insidehousing Good quality affordable housing with security of tenure enables people to:
— Genderfree Gert💜⚪💚 (@Gert
a) Live close to workplace & avoid cost, time & environmental impact of long commute
b) Children can have settled education, changing schools only at the right age & moving with a (1/4)a>.@insidehousing Good quality affordable housing with security of tenure enables people to:
— Genderfree Gert\uD83D\uDC9C⚪\uD83D\uDC9A (@Gert) July 31, 2019
a) Live close to workplace & avoid cost, time & environmental impact of long commute
b) Children can have settled education, changing schools only at the right age & moving with a (1/4)
More on the Addison Act
How George Clarke is aiming to end the housing crisis with his new TV show Architect George Clarke has long been a passionate campaigner for more – and better – council housing. As Inside Housing celebrates 100 years of the Addison Act, Martin Hilditch meets a man on a mission
100 Years of Council Housing: your tweets from week three Our favourite #100yearsofcouncilhousing tweets from the past seven days as our Addison Act activity moves into its fourth week
Nottingham's new wave Robyn Wilson goes to Nottingham to see what the next generation of council homes are set to look like.
If we’re going to have another 100 years of council housing, Right to Buy has to go The Right to Buy is having a devastating effect on the availability of council housing in this country and must be scrapped, writes Lee Sugden
What next for council housing? To celebrate the centenary of the Addison Act, Inside Housing asks a group of housing experts what can be learned from its legacy (sponsored)
Thatcher's legacy: a brief history of the Right to Buy An engine for social change or a handbrake on council development? We look at why the Right to Buy is as divisive as ever #ukhousing
A history of council housing: a timeline From the Addison Act to prefabs, slum clearance and the Right to Buy, council housing in the United Kingdom has a long and colourful history. Carl Brown looks at how it has evolved over time
Council housing: the key to a more equitable and dynamic society As the 100th anniversary of the Addison Act approaches, we publish an abridged extract of a book by Chris Matthews chronicling the history of council housing in Nottingham
Addison’s framework was scrapped but its legacy is more important than ever The fortunes of council housing have ebbed and flowed ever since Addison’s programme was abruptly halted in 1921, writes Jules Birch
Hulme: the redevelopment project that changed regeneration The redevelopment of Hulme in Manchester kick-started a new approach to regeneration in the UK – and the careers of some of housing’s best-known figures. Martin Hilditch joins them on a step back in time with lessons for today.
100 Years of Council Housing: your tweets from week two We pick our favourite #100yearsofcouncil housing tweets over the past week
Memories of council housing: the human legacy of the Addison Act As the centenary of the first council houses approaches, Peter Apps hears from some of the people who have lived in them in the decades since
Many of the sector’s current leaders began their journeys in council teams One hundred years of council housing has delivered a generation of sector leaders as well as millions of council homes, writes Mervyn Jones
Stevenage: home of the new town revolution Stevenage was the first of the post-war ‘new towns’. Gavriel Hollander visits the town to see how it has changed.
100 Years of Council Housing: your tweets from week one Inside Housing has been encouraging councils to say what they are doing to build homes and to mark 100 years of council housing. Here we feature a selection of your tweets
Kit Malthouse: 'Council housing is coming back with a vengeance' Housing minister Kit Malthouse tells Martin Hilditch why growing numbers of councils are looking to get back into development
Sea Mills: we visit one of the first estates to benefit from the Addison Act Social historian John Boughton visits a place in Bristol still cherished today
The Housing Podcast: is council housebuilding about to make a comeback Nearly 100 years after the introduction of the Addison Act, which kick-started the building of the first council estates in the UK, the Housing Podcast team examines the state of council housebuilding today
Why the 100th anniversary of the Addison Act should spark a council housing comeback Let’s make 2019 the start of a renaissance of council housing, writes Martin Hilditch
Are new borrowing freedoms sparking a revival of council housebuilding? The Addison Act marked the birth of council housebuilding. A century later, could recent financial freedom spark a renaissance? Nathaniel Barker investigates.
How Cornwall is taking inspiration from Christopher Addison Cornwall Council is one of many keeping the legacy alive, writes Kate Kennally.
The Addison Act - celebrating 100 years of council housing This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Addison Act – which paved the way for council housebuilding on a large scale. Inside Housing has a whole month of special activity planned and we want to hear your stories
The 100-year anniversary of the Addison Act means it’s time to talk about council housing Let’s use the 100th anniversary of council housing as we know it to flag up some of the great work that’s been done – and kick-start a conversation about the future, writes Martin Hilditch
London must recapture the housebuilding ambition of the Addison Act Councils are committed to development but are still facing unfair restrictions, writes Darren Rodwell of London Councils
Marking 100 years since the ‘Addison Act’ Professor Mark Swenarton writes about the Homes Fit for Heroes Centenary Conference
