Britain: An official handbook > 1977

HOUSING
Policy
Research and
Development
Public Sector
Housing
Finance
179
The central government departments specify certain standards for the con¬
struction and equipment of all new dwellings; these are enforced by the local
authorities. Subsidies are made available to the authorities to assist them with
housing costs, and guidance is given on design and layout.
Besides providing public housing, local authorities are involved in many
other aspects of housing policy, including paying house renovation grants
to the private sector, granting mortgages to owner-occupiers and carrying
out slum-clearance and redevelopment programmes. A growing number are
establishing housing advisory centres to provide information on most aspects
of housing. Local authority social services departments and, in England and
Wales, housing departments arrange accommodation for homeless people.
The main objectives of government housing policy are to secure a decent home
for every family at a price within its means, and to ensure fairness between
one citizen and another in giving and receiving help towards housing costs.
Government subsidies are available to assist local authorities with the cost of
clearing slums and providing adequate public sector housing. The Govern¬
ment is concerned to ensure that best use is made of the existing housing
stock and subsidies are also available for the improvement of older houses.
Special emphasis is being placed on gradual renewal rather than clear¬
ance, on building for smaller households to match the changing demographic
pattern and on providing for the needs of the worst housing areas.
Research into building materials and techniques, as well as into the social,
economic and design aspects of housing, is undertaken within the Depart¬
ment of the Environment, under the control of the Director General of
Research. It is carried out by the Building Research Establishment and the
department’s directorates of economics, statistics, and housing development.
The Research and Development Group of the Scottish Development Depart¬
ment also undertakes research. Sponsored work is carried out in universities
and local authorities may also have housing research programmes. The
Government is advised on the need for, and application of, research and
development by the Construction and Housing Research Advisory Council.
Advice on ways of increasing productivity in house-building is also provided
by the National Building Agency.
Public housing authorities in Britain own some 6-4 million houses and flats
and in 1975 completed over 159,000 new dwellings. The number of houses
owned by each authority varies widely, some having a stock of well over 100,000
houses. In 1974 the Government authorised additional public expenditure
on housing to enable authorities to increase their building programme.
However, as part of the cuts in public expenditure announced in July 1976
(see p. 193) controls are to be introduced in April 1977 to limit the rate of
approvals for new house building by local authorities. Reductions will not be
made in areas where housing needs are greatest. A start has also been made
on programmes for municipal ownership of privately rented housing in the
worst areas of housing stress.
Local authorities in Great Britain meet the capital costs of new house con¬
struction by raising loans on the open market or by borrowing from the Public
\\ orks Loan Board (see p. 69). Current expenditure, including maintenance
and management costs and loan interest and repayments, is met from rents,