How Britain (Almost) Solved the Housing Crisis

A video about how Britain (almost) solved the housing crisis, how it created another one, and how all countries can make safe and affordable housing a reality once again.

Written, directed and presented by Tom Nicholas.
Edited by Georgia Burrows.

*Chapters*

00:00 The Housing Crisis: Then & Now
03:20 Rent Strikes and Revolutions
05:50 The Birth of Council Housing
09:17 The Post-War Housing Boom
12:40 Housing: Solved
16:18 The Home Buying Revolution
20:25 A "Property Owning Democracy"
24:11 A New Consensus
26:11 Back to the '20s
30:24 The Return of the Landlord
33:53 Building Better
38:55 My debut film BOOMERS is out TODAY!

*Bibliography*

*Blurb*

The housing crisis has become a defining part of modern life in many countries. High rents and insurmountable house prices have become normalised. But, what if it didn't have to be this way?

100 years ago, Britain was suffering from a very similar housing crisis to that of today. Slum conditions and predatory landlords were rife. Then, during the 20th century, it managed to solve that housing crisis and make safe and affordable homes a reality for all.

This is the story of how Britain (almost) solved the housing crisis, how it created another one, and how all countries can make safe and affordable housing a reality once again.

Select footage courtesy of Getty
Music from Epidemic Sound

[Tom_Nicholas]

Everyone on the production team (and there's a lot of them!) has worked so hard on BOOMERS. It's packed with incisive interviews and investigation into intergenerational inequality, housing, pensions, and much more. All told through a globe-trotting journey to uncover the lives and legacy of the Baby Boomer generation.

It also features my mum!

Thanks so much to everyone who's already signed up to Nebula in anticipation. I can't wait for you all to see it and to hear what you think!

[maxsalmon]

So basically, "About 70 years ago, people had problems that they worked together to solve. Then in the 80's they realized they could make A LOT more money if they undid those solutions for the next three generations of people...who hadn't lived through all that stuff before, and therefore had no idea what was being done to them until it was much too late."

Copy and paste this for most societal problems we have right now; and freely share it between the UK and USA.

[atticusv]

It is really funny (but also depressing) how Thatcher is basically patient zero for most of the UK's problems. The Forrest Gump of British misery.

[Donthaveacowbra]

This video just once again reiterates a point for me. One for which my father, just doesn't understand. He goes on about how Reagan and thatcher etc were great for the economy. All the while not understanding what they effectively did. My analogy is essentially they sold the seed grain. Essentially they took assets of the public state, one with had broader intangible benefits, and sold them off. In doing so it looked "great" for their economies. They cut rates and lowered taxes (sort of) so everyone was like omg everything is roaring. The issue is, what they produced was a net weaker result. Less competitive companies. More of expensive housing. Systems rife for exploitation. Government isn't the answer for everything. I don't think the government should be in the business of making smart phones for example. The issue is, some aspects benefit the broader society and make that society more competitive globally. More expensive housing means higher wages needed. If those wages are going to landlords that is an unproductive use of capital relative to goods or services. Expensive education means a lower productivity workforce as education is fundamentally a method for labor saving creation. Lastly, having Healthcare seek profits means lower employment mobility and reduced entrepreneurial drive. All and all, the thatcher, and Reagan and mulroney in my case, FUCKED, us.

[MrThingummy]

You missed the most critical reason Thatcher, (and others) wanted working class ownership of houses. It is impossible for a worker to strike for more than a few months if he has a mortgague;- the house will be reposessed. On the other hand local councils could not throw their tennents out, nor could for example coalmine owners, or many other professions, who also provided housing. Indeed most local councils in mining or heavy industrial areas, were very sympathetic to chalenges to Tory power which was decimating their communities. Thus it was a massively effective way of removing the unions', and Labour Local Authorities' power.

[foxesofautumn]

I find it hard to blame buy-to-occupy residents. I’m looking hard at policy that encourages the collecting of dozens of properties, treating them like shares and not a human necessity. It’s one of the most horrendous things any government can do to its population and had lead to untold social problems they think they can solve by building more prisons but, I don’t know, isn’t keeping people out of prisons more worthwhile an endeavour?

[buzzebee]

One of the biggest wins from the most recent budget that seems to be mostly unreported was ensuring right to buy proceeds go to local councils. With some small tweaks to make sure funding is available to actually build places that small change might make it viable for councils to start building again.

Another potentially huge idea could be giving powers to councils to be able to buy land which has planning approved but no construction for years due to private builders sitting on assets to drip feed supply via eminent domain. We're in a national emergency. Those resources (land) need to be put to use.

It could also be a huge jobs program. Get younger people into construction and gove them skills for life.

[CalebMartinU]

The fact is that BTC symbolises the future of cryptocurrency, and traders are wondering if now is the best moment to trade, I feel you should examine the situation more closely before jumping to any conclusion. BTC's price has been fluctuating over the previous days, signaling that the market has become unstable and that is it impossible to anticipate whether it will go bearish or bullish. Others are patient, while others continue to trade with no risk. It all depends on the pattern you're trading and the source of your signal.

[LiamBar]

"Private sector building has never expanded to soak up excess demand", well why would they? If you control the supply, you can keep prices artificially high.

[kosta]

I got two words for you: "Planning permission".

The planning office was sold to the public as a means of ensuring people are provided with essential infrastructure. These days it's used mostly as a means of restricting the housing supply so as to keep prices artificially high.

[Ellie-rxjt]

Part of good quality homes that I think is often completely overlooked today is a decently sized garden. Can't let the kids play out in the streets incase they get kidnapped or hit by a car, can't let them run around in the house or garden because there's no space. Then wonder why kids spend their days holed up in their rooms playing with iPads or computers, and why they're sicker and fatter than kids who grew up outside.

[Genzar]

The graph at 14:48 tells an interesting story. I immediately noticed that the percentage of owner-occupied homes is going up at the same time as private rent is going down. Here in Canada, whenever the government proposes a housing-affordability policy, the Conservative Party says that the policy doesn’t help middle class people buy their first home. I’m wondering why council houses means more people buying houses.

[grief_hammer]

I wish we'd do something like this again.
The idea of owning property seems so far beyond possible now, and the kind of quality council housing my grandparents lived in simply is no longer publicly owned. It's depressing.

[idnwiw]

I'm really glad that Vienna never sold off it's social housing stock, nor has the strong renters protection been given up

[ellie.irineu]

The fact that the Russian Revolution scared the British government into giving everyone homes is a great reminder that revolutions work and that we should definitely keep doing them.

[tomtrask_YT]

how I wish this fantasy of "the free market can solve this problem" was ever true....like for anything. Housing, healthcare, education, time and again we hear that the free market has a better solution and it simply does not.

[jpasher]

9:19 the war started in 1939, not 1938

20:30 “United Kingdom”, “Great Britain and Northern Ireland” or “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” would be correct, but “United Kingdom and Northern Ireland” isn’t; NI is outside Great Britain but is still part of the UK.

[namenamenamename]

Just like Reagan in the States, it seems like Thatcher started half the problems that the UK faces today. Great vid.

[elinewww]

Same thing is going on in the Netherlands and it's depressing. I'm nearly at the end of my 1-year contract and not sure if I'll be able to find something new... Probably unhealthy how stressed I am about that

[sarahwatts]

Who would have thought that the free market wouldn't regulate itself