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Transformation Through Tenure? The Early Purchasers of Council Houses 1968–1973*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Ray Forrest  and
Alan Murie
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Abstract

The sale of council dwellings under the right to buy has been a prominent feature of the privatisation policies of the Thatcher governments. The impact of such changes in the ownership and control of dwellings remains a subject of considerable debate. Whilst there is now substantial evidence on the short term effects of council house sales, the longer term impacts on dwellings and households have largely been a matter for speculation. This paper explores some of the central policy and theoretical issues through new research evidence on dwellings sold by local authorities in the late sixties and early seventies. In particular it focuses on what has happened to households and dwellings since privatisation, the political orientation of those households and on attitudes towards and experiences of state provision. In general it presents a picture of continuity and stability rather than dramatic change and transformation following privatisation.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , January 1991 , pp. 1 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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