Lesson outcome:

1
Lesson outcome

• Did the labour government solve the housing
  problems between 1945-51?

2
ProblemsShortage

• War damage
• Slum housing

Clydebank during the war families had to take
residence in army camps
3
The overcrowding in Glasgow was the biggest
problem. It had more residents per square mile
than any other city in Europe.
Whole families had to live in flats that
comprised only a kitchen/living room and one
bedroom.
4
This overcrowding meant that disease spread
easily from one family member to another, and
from one house to the next.
5
Problems

• Responsibility fell to Bevan
• Lack of builders and materials meant private
  house building was restricted

6
Government action

• Priority to House the homeless led to the
  building of 'non-traditional buildings
• Pre-fabs helped temporarily

7
(No Transcript)
8
In 1945 the Department of Health for Scotland
imported 2000 two-storeyed wooden houses direct
from Sweden, 200 of which were allocated to
Glasgow.
9
Government action

• High-Rise
• City Housing was originally designed as an
  experiment in high-rise housing, after
  suggestions from the Scottish Office in 1945

http//www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi000
-000-196-172-CsearchdbscranPHPSESSIDqv6hpr5o7g
aueipo0ipjo0tnt4
10
12 New towns were to be built under the New Towns
act in 1946
11
Government action

• 1947 Town and county act gave councils more
  planning power to re-develop helped to build
  800,00 houses
• By the early 1950s, over 2,000 new homes had been
  built

Three-storey tenement flats built by Glasgow
Corporation at Stamford Street, Barrowfield,
photographed in 1946.
12
Government action

• The new houses had two or three bedrooms,
  separate kitchens and bathrooms.
• contained electricity and proper plumbing.
• many were semi-detached houses giving each
  family that little more space.

13
Government action

• 1949 Housing Act meant local authorities able to
  buy homes for improvement
• Private home owners able to get grants

14
Criticisms

• Made progress but by 1951 there was still a huge
  housing shortage
• Quantity rather than the quality was the priority
• Many prefabs still in use today!

15
Historians view J. Hess

• The Attlee Government..did not fulfil its
  promise to create a Ministry of Housing and
  planning..responsibility for housing remained
  with the Ministry of Health
• Bevans record as regards house-building was
  poorer than that of his Conservative successor
  after 1951..but it must not be forgotten that he
  had to face grave financial and material
  shortages ..in the circumstances Labours
  achievement was rather better than is normally
  painted.

16

• Did the labour government solve the housing
  problems between 1945-51?
• Make a Point
• Explain the Point
• Give an Example

There was a serious housing shortage in 1945.
during the war families had to take residence in
army camps and overcrowding in Glasgow was a
serious problem.
In 1945 Scotland imported 2000 two-storeyed
wooden houses direct from Sweden to help solve
the problem.