The Housing Problem

In researching the background to my saga about John Tucker (first book “Sarah” available as an e-book) it has become clear to me that the current housing situation in the UK is the most disastrous since the period that my novel covers. That is soon after the end of the Second World War when Nazi bombing and the complete war effort had led to a terrible shortage of new housing.

Then the problem was solved by the government making an unprecedented effort to build estates and tower blocks of local authority housing. There was also the development of new towns, mainly around the London area. For a number of years, the total government building of new homes exceeded 300,000 per year and prime minister Harold Macmillan’s slogan was “You’ve never had it so good!” Today’s government can only produce a small fraction of that number.

Of course, it was easy in those days. The returning soldiers boosted the labour force and there was still a tradition of apprentice tradesmen. Youngsters were willing to get their hands dirty. Where will the labour come from to build the new homes we so desperately need? And what about the availability of suitable land and materials. For example, brick supplies are much lower than they were then.

The short answer is that I have devised a scheme for building new homes which doesn’t need to take large areas of green land and minimises the need for skilled tradesmen. I am a chartered builder (MCIOB) and quantity surveyor, so I know what I am talking about.

I will give you details of my proposals in my next blog.

Mike.