HE April issue of the TSSA Journal contains an _ editorial commenting on the Milner-Holland Report, which draws some of the key lessons of this scarifying document. Last month’s shocker -— the Milner-Holland Report — _ underlined in grim terms not just how much more should have been done in the way of house building but, equally important, what little was done to prevent the exploitation of tenants by unscrupulous landlords! In fact, the Rent Act of 1957 with its provisions for eviction was an encouragement to some of those landlords to pursue even more ruthlessly their trade in misery. Whilst the Report was about housing in the Greater London area, the fact is that the pattern can be found in practically every Jarge city in the country, The national housing shortage has created a situation where slum properties exist in an “Affluent Society” and where a minority of bad landlords profit at the expense of people who merely seek the basic necessity of a roof over their heads. The land racket, high interest charges and high building costs have had their reflection in both the Local Authority and private sectors of housing. In some areas, a home has become a luxury and a vain dream for many... With the top-heavy; concentration in south-east England it is only too obvious that the overall answer to much of the housing problem rests with the creation of new towns far beyond the Metropolitan Green Belt — and the adoption of industrialised techniques for their construction. These would be “self-supporting” towns, with industry and all the amenities necessary for the population. If towns and cities have insufficient building land available (including that for redevelopment with higher densities) to cope with their problem, then every possible aid should be given as encouragement to those on the housing lists to move out to the new towns.
A prerequisite to all this is lower
interest rates, in some cases a form
of subsidy, and a modernisation of
building methods. Incidentally,
might it not be possible for some of
the aircraft factories threatened with
redundancy to be re-equipped for
the production of industrialised
housing components?
In 1964 370,000 housing units
were completed, and the Labour
Government believes that this year
a figure of 400,000 can be achieved.
A country the size of Britain ought
to be able to build half a million
units a year. Western Germany,
which is roughly the size of Britain,
already manages that number,
although it ought to be pointed out
that dwellings are usually slightly
smaller there than in this country.
There is a place for both the pri-
vate and the public sectors in this
challenge but it is evident that
Local Authorities will have to take
an increasingly large share of the
work, Given the right conditions,
they will no doubt--be only too
pleased to fulfil their role. Housing
is one of the most human and press-
ing problems facing the Government.
- The Week says: The demand for
a target of these proportions is
badly needed. Now is the time to
consider resolutions to the Labour
Party Conference along these lines.
Miners’ leaders