Manchester University Press
4 Slum houses, slum dwellers and slum clearance
Abstract
Rents for the new houses, and extra travel costs to work, were too high for the poorer tenants. The council selected tenants for its new estates and slum dwellers were not usually on the lists. By the late 1920s, focus was shifting away from general housing provision for the working classes to the much bigger problem of clearing and replacing the inner-city slums. The council was in a strong position when it came to clearing the slums, planning and building new houses. Preference for housing was an ideal shared by the council, social reformers and tenants alike. Investigators were left in no doubt that tenants wanted to live in cottages. Elements in the council and the voluntary sector believed that tenants, although victims of their environment, needed assistance in managing their homes. Reactions to slum-clearance plans in Hulme were an early indication of tenant capabilities when faced with unpopular policies.
Abstract
Rents for the new houses, and extra travel costs to work, were too high for the poorer tenants. The council selected tenants for its new estates and slum dwellers were not usually on the lists. By the late 1920s, focus was shifting away from general housing provision for the working classes to the much bigger problem of clearing and replacing the inner-city slums. The council was in a strong position when it came to clearing the slums, planning and building new houses. Preference for housing was an ideal shared by the council, social reformers and tenants alike. Investigators were left in no doubt that tenants wanted to live in cottages. Elements in the council and the voluntary sector believed that tenants, although victims of their environment, needed assistance in managing their homes. Reactions to slum-clearance plans in Hulme were an early indication of tenant capabilities when faced with unpopular policies.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Preface vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Government, local authorities and housing, 1919–87 29
- 2 National interpretations 52
- 3 Civic culture, voluntarism and council intervention 85
- 4 Slum houses, slum dwellers and slum clearance 109
- 5 The post-war housing problem and the great overspill drive 132
- 6 New slums and the rising tide of tenant anger 157
- 7 New slums, New Left and new partnerships 180
- Conclusion 210
- Bibliography 216
- Index 227
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Preface vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Government, local authorities and housing, 1919–87 29
- 2 National interpretations 52
- 3 Civic culture, voluntarism and council intervention 85
- 4 Slum houses, slum dwellers and slum clearance 109
- 5 The post-war housing problem and the great overspill drive 132
- 6 New slums and the rising tide of tenant anger 157
- 7 New slums, New Left and new partnerships 180
- Conclusion 210
- Bibliography 216
- Index 227
