The Era Of The Great War #19: Homes Fit For Heroes Flashcards
Popular quote
“You cannot expect to get an A1 population out of C3 homes”
What did prime minister David Lloyd George say after WW1?
That “a place fit for heroes to live in” was needed
What was the housing situation like in the west or Scotland?
Very bad.
- tenements had very poor sanitation
When did housing repaires cease?
1914-1919
Where did most people live?
Council houses
What was the housing shortage by 1918?
Almost half a million
Why did many people see the fact that the government failed to finance homes as hypocritical?
They financed £7mil a day during the war - why not not?
How much of Scotland’s housing was inadequate?
Almost half
When was the Addison Act?
1919
Terms of Addison Act (1919)
- initially a temporary measure
- forced local authorities to improve the standard of working class houses
What was the target of the the Addison Act?
To build 500,000 houses in 3 years
Evidence that the Addison Act was unrealistic
Less than half of the houses were completed
Why did the Addison Act fail?
Many were reluctant to leave their communities
Why were many reluctant to leave their communities?
they felt secure amidst the established family and neighbourhood networks and where they could easily walk to work
When was the Chamberlain Housing Act?
1923
What did Chamberlain’s Housing Act do?
It encouraged private sector to supply housing
How did Chamberlain’s Housing Act finance their goal?
They gave council subsidies of £6 per home, paid annually over a 20 year period
How many houses did the council subsidies of Chamberlain’s housing act help build?
4000+
Who else did Chamberlain’s Housing Act give subsidies to?
- Private builders who many 30,000 new private homes
- this only helped those who had enough to build private houses (more £ than council)
When was the Wheatley Act?
1924
Who was John Wheatley?
Labour Minister of Health in 1924
John Wheatley’s background
- Glaswegian
- grew up in the same communities that had become poor post-war
What did the Wheatley Act achieve by the time the Labour government was voted out?
75000 good quality houses in Scotland
What sort of things did houses built be the Wheatley Act include?
- gardens
- electricty
- indoor toilets
What was the Wheatley Act seen as?
One of the first achievements of the first Labour government
What did NONE of these acts do?
Get rid of inner city slums
What were tenements still an issue?
Greedy landlords continued to take advantage of the tenants
