The Evil Decline of Britain’s Dystopian Estates
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the history and transformation of social housing in Britain, particularly focusing on the notorious Alsbury Estate in London. It traces the origins of council estates as a means to elevate the working class from slums, through various architectural and social policy shifts, to the current state of decay and crime. The narrative highlights the impact of the 1977 Housing Act, which prioritized housing for the homeless, and the 'Right to Buy' policy of 1980, which eventually led to the privatization of council homes. The script also discusses the rise of high-rise flats, the subsequent decline in quality and maintenance, and the socio-economic consequences of these policies, including the creation of an underclass and the gentrification of areas previously inhabited by the working class. The Grenfell Tower tragedy serves as a poignant reminder of the neglected state of social housing and the widening inequality gap in Britain.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ The Albury estate in London was once considered a symbol of urban decay, reflecting the failure of social housing projects to provide a better living standard for the working class.
- 📈 Post-World War I, there was a gradual spread of social housing in Britain, with the aim of providing a decent environment for veterans and the working class, leading to the creation of estates like the Beacon Tree estate.
- 📉 The 1970s marked a significant shift in social housing, with high unemployment, inflation, and social unrest leading to a rise in crime and a decline in the quality and reputation of council estates.
- 👥 The 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act prioritized housing for the homeless and vulnerable, which, while well-intentioned, led to a decline in the motivation and pride among the working-class residents of social housing.
- 🏢 The introduction of the right-to-buy policy in 1980 allowed council house tenants to purchase their homes at a reduced rate, which over time led to a decrease in social housing and an increase in private ownership by wealthy investors.
- 💰 The sale of council houses to private individuals and firms has resulted in a decline in home ownership among the middle class and an increase in wealth inequality.
- 📉 The quality of social housing deteriorated over time, with high-rise estates becoming notorious for crime, poor maintenance, and a lack of community pride.
- 👮♂️ Social housing became associated with crime, anti-social behavior, and a lack of opportunity, pushing working-class residents away and creating a stigma around council estates.
- 👨👩👧👦 The sense of community and pride in council estates eroded as they became residences of last resort for those unable to afford private housing, leading to a decline in social cohesion.
- 🏗️ Council regeneration schemes and compulsory purchase orders have displaced residents from their homes, often without providing adequate compensation or alternative housing options.
- 🔥 The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 highlighted the urgent need for reform in social housing, bringing attention to the safety and quality concerns that have arisen from decades of neglect and underinvestment.
Q & A
What was the original purpose of social housing in Britain?
-The original purpose of social housing in Britain was to lift the working class out of slums and provide them with better living conditions. It was seen as a way to prevent uprisings against the government and to improve the quality of life for the working class.
How did the design of social housing evolve over time?
-The design of social housing evolved from traditional and aesthetically pleasing architecture to modernism and then to brutalism. Initially, architects like Owen Flemin believed in the importance of beauty in architecture. However, with the rise of modernism and brutalism, the designs became more focused on functionality and less on aesthetics, often resulting in concrete, block-like structures.
What was the impact of the 'Right to Buy' policy introduced in 1980?
-The 'Right to Buy' policy allowed tenants of council houses to purchase their homes at a massively reduced rate. This led to an increase in home ownership, but over time, many of these homes were sold to wealthy investors who then rented them back to the working class, contributing to the decline of the property-owning middle class.
How did the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act change the dynamics of social housing?
-The 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act made housing a right for the most vulnerable in society, prioritizing the homeless. This led to social housing becoming associated with crime and social issues, as the incentive for the working class to maintain and care for their homes was diminished.
What were the consequences of high-rise flats being built as social housing?
-High-rise flats, often poorly built, led to a decline in the quality of social housing. Many of these structures became associated with social issues and crime, and as a result, were less desirable. This, in turn, contributed to the stigmatization of social housing and the decline of the middle class.
How did the regeneration of social housing estates affect the residents?
-The regeneration of social housing estates often resulted in the displacement of residents. Councils used compulsory purchase to acquire properties at below-market values, forcing residents to relocate often far from their communities and support networks. The regenerated areas were sometimes transformed into luxury apartments, which were unaffordable for the original residents.
What role did economic policies and social changes in the 1970s play in the decline of social housing?
-Economic policies, such as cuts to social housing and benefits, along with social changes including rising crime, unemployment, and the introduction of the 1977 Housing Act, contributed to the decline of social housing. These factors led to a shift in the perception and quality of social housing, making it less desirable and more associated with social problems.
Why did social housing become less popular over time?
-Social housing became less popular due to a combination of factors, including the rise of crime and social issues within these areas, the shift in policy that prioritized the homeless over the working class, and the decline in the quality and maintenance of the housing stock. Additionally, the 'Right to Buy' policy led to the sale of social housing to private investors, further reducing the availability of affordable housing for the working class.
How did the changes in social housing policies affect the British middle class?
-The changes in social housing policies, particularly the 'Right to Buy' scheme, led to a reduction in the property-owning middle class. As council houses were sold off, often to wealthy investors, the middle class was displaced, and the funds generated were not always reinvested into creating new social housing, leading to a decline in affordable housing options for this demographic.
What are the long-term implications of the decline in social housing and the shrinking middle class in Britain?
-The decline in social housing and the shrinking middle class have led to increased income inequality, a polarization between the rich and the poor, and a decrease in social mobility. It has also contributed to the decline of towns and cities, as the middle class, which often acts as a stabilizing force, has less influence and presence.
What was the role of architectural design in the perception and quality of life in social housing?
-Architectural design played a significant role in the perception and quality of life in social housing. Initially, the focus was on creating aesthetically pleasing and functional living spaces. However, with the rise of modernism and brutalism, the designs became more utilitarian and less focused on the residents' quality of life. Poorly designed high-rise flats, in particular, contributed to the negative perception of social housing.
Outlines
🏙️ The Dark Truth Behind Britain's Social Housing
This paragraph discusses the notorious Alsbury Estate in London, symbolizing urban decay and the failure of social housing. It explores the historical context, from the 1800s industrialization and the 1834 English poor law, to the Housing of Working Class Act of 1888 which aimed to improve living conditions. The narrative highlights the transformation of social housing from a means to elevate the working class to a source of crime and despair. It also touches upon the architectural evolution and the social dynamics influenced by these housing policies.
📜 Rules and Ideals of Social Housing
The second paragraph delves into the rules and conservative ideals associated with social housing, such as the requirement to maintain cleanliness and the prohibition of certain behaviors. It contrasts the socialist attitude of providing for the poor with the conservative belief in the moral superiority of the aristocracy. The summary outlines the strict guidelines provided to residents, the impact of these rules on the community, and the eventual shift towards modernist architecture in the 1930s, which would later be criticized for its bleak and depressing nature.
🏢 The Rise and Fall of Modernist Architecture
This section critiques modernist architecture's impact on social housing, discussing the cost-effectiveness and the shift in design philosophy post-World War II. It highlights the move towards high-density flats, the government incentives for building upwards, and the eventual decline of these structures. The narrative also touches on the social issues that arose in the '70s, including unemployment, inflation, and the 1977 Housing Homeless Persons Act, which changed the dynamics of social housing and its desirability.
📉 The Downfall of Social Housing and the 'Right to Buy'
The fourth paragraph examines the consequences of the 'Right to Buy' policy introduced in 1980, which allowed tenants to purchase their council homes at discounted rates. While initially seen as an opportunity for social mobility, the summary explains how this policy led to a decrease in social housing stock and an increase in property ownership among the wealthy. It discusses the subsequent effects on the middle class, the rise of inequality, and the transformation of social housing into a stigmatized and neglected resource.
🏘️ The Impact of Social and Economic Changes on Council Estates
This part of the script focuses on the social and economic changes that have shaped the perception and reality of council estates. It discusses the decline in quality and rise of crime, the impact of school league tables on expelled students, and the creation of an underclass. The summary also addresses the phenomenon of 'sink estates' and the challenges faced by working-class individuals living near those who engage in disruptive behavior. It highlights the tension between the desire for a peaceful living environment and the reality of social housing degradation.
🔨 Compulsory Purchase and the Future of Social Housing
The final paragraph discusses the use of compulsory purchase to acquire properties for regeneration, often at less than market value. It tells the story of the Heygate Estate, where residents were offered a fraction of their homes' worth and forced to relocate. The summary describes the sale of the land to private developers and the ultimate failure to reinvest in social housing, leading to a decrease in affordable housing and an increase in inequality. It concludes with a reflection on the state of Britain's social fabric and a call for change and reinvestment in the working class.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Urban Decay
💡Social Housing
💡Right to Buy
💡Compulsory Purchase
💡Council Estates
💡Slums
💡Housing Benefit
💡Regeneration
💡Economic Inequality
💡Brutalist Architecture
💡High-Rise Flats
Highlights
Alsburg estate in London, once considered a symbol of urban decay, is a notorious housing estate with a history of crime and dilapidation.
The shift from slums to council housing was initially aimed at uplifting the British working class, but over time, some estates became crime-ridden.
The 1834 English poor law and subsequent legislation aimed to distinguish between the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor, influencing housing policies.
The Boundary Estate was the first council estate, built with the intention of providing better living conditions for the working class.
The architectural vision of Owen Flemin, who designed the Boundary Estate, emphasized the importance of beauty in architecture for social housing.
Social housing residents were given handbooks with rules and advice, reflecting a mix of socialist attitudes and conservative values.
The 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act shifted social housing from a reward for the working class to a right for the most vulnerable, leading to a change in the social dynamic of these communities.
The 'Right to Buy' policy introduced in 1980 allowed council house tenants to purchase their homes at a reduced rate, leading to a decrease in social housing stock.
The sale of council houses often resulted in properties being bought by wealthy investment firms, who then rented them back to the working class.
High-rise flats became a trend post-war, with the government subsidizing extra floors, leading to an increase in high-density living.
The 1970s saw a rise in crime, unemployment, and social unrest, which had a significant impact on the perception and reality of social housing estates.
Compulsory purchase laws allowed councils to buy and regenerate social housing estates, often leading to the displacement of residents.
The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 highlighted the issues with the management and maintenance of social housing, leading to a national outcry.
The decline in social housing and the rise of private investment have contributed to a shrinking middle class and increased inequality in Britain.
The transformation of social housing from a means to elevate the working class to a commodity for short-term profit has had a profound impact on British society.
The speaker calls for a reevaluation of social housing policies and a renewed commitment to providing affordable and quality housing for all.
Transcripts
this video is brought to you by
Squarespace when you think of London you
you probably are picturing this or maybe
this but what you're probably not
picturing is this the Alsbury has long
been considered one of the most
notorious Estates in London a symbol of
Urban Decay what one started as a way of
lifting the British workingclass out of
slums has over time just descended into
these crime ridden dilapidated areas two
boys fallowing out behind me and they
went oh a ww car went yes they tried
jumping me but knocked them both out
Alsbury estate in southeast London say
they're living in fear after a second
murder in the area within 3 months sou
Council can legally insist Beverly
vacates her home this is what I worked
all my life for to end up with a poverty
like this today we're going to tell the
Dark Truth behind Britain's dystopian
estat live in environmental conditions
unmatched by anything that has existed
before tamme with his own identity but
still a lively part of London growing
from the river the
changing the failure to provide the kind
of facilities originally intended for
tsme has left many of those who moved
here hoping for a new life both deeply
disappointed and desperate to get out in
the 1800s Britain was going through
industrialization after centuries of
feudalism the workingclass had now had
these weird things called rights I was
just wondering if um possibly we um we'd
like a pay
rise the 1834 English poor law it made a
very clear distinction between the
deserving poor and the undeserving poor
fair enough you know if you're you have
no legs or arms okay you're allowed to
be poor if you were just you know
average Joey schoy and all your [ __ ] all
your sticks are working how dare you not
become rich the housing of workingclass
Act of
1888 1990 I think the government were
very perturbed about people possibly
Uprising against the government as they
were in Russia so what give them good
houses keep them quiet keep them happy
this act and a series of others were
passed where they had given councils the
right and the responsibility to flatten
slums get rid of these shitty slums and
in place build Council
[Music]
houses there was one place so hell ially
awful that would become the very first
Council estate it almost goes without
saying that these slums were overcrowded
and poorly maintained hot beds of crime
disease and
alcoholism the old nickel was among the
worst of these slums the old nickel
makes Luton look like Dubai I'm talking
you're surrounded by piss and poo this
place is releasing new diseases
like the rooms were just cramming in
people so that landlords could charge
more rent per square inch these
landlords weren't exactly incentivized
to repair things so you know if there's
a hole in the roof and you called the
landlord he would take one look at it
and say ah that sucks one in four babies
in the old nickel died before the age of
one the council took a look at it and
said [ __ ] it let's flatten the place
let's start again and they made the
boundary
[Music]
estate and if we we look at the boundary
estate today you might notice it looks
quite nice that's because the architect
who was called Owen Flemin he had this
crazy idea where he believed that beauty
and Nic looking architecture was
important this place was great but you
see there was a problem as the slum
dwellers stared on as their homes were
flattened Before Their Eyes awaiting the
keys to their new homes they found out
that the rent was double that of the
slums and so they packed their
presumably empty bags and headed over to
just another nearby slump and in moved
in the more affluent deserved working
class we were thinking in terms of a new
world uh the returning soldiers deserved
a decent environment and that was really
the main task and we thought that we
were we' been called by chance and by
our place in history to create that new
world post World War I there was a slow
but gradual spread of social housing in
1912 you had the old oak and wormholt
this was being built under the homes for
Heroes so basically War veterans were
promised to come back to land that
promise was a lie and because they
didn't want a revolution on their hands
they built this place and said all right
fine a bit later after this you'd have
the Beacon Tree estate and they actually
built 27,000 homes here this place was a
[ __ ] Utopia imagine you have just
come from living in a literal slum and
now you have a you have grass you have a
garden in the front and the back of your
house you had rooms big enough that you
could like do that with your arms
running water a toilet Windows a boiler
affordable rent however all of this was
not going to come without a few
rules every house got a handbook with
rules and advice Among the rules they
had to clean their Windows once a week
and when it came to laboratory systems
they were told there is no need to pull
a chain with a
jerk the idea of Parental conservatism
was an interesting one it was like a
socialist attitude combined with
conservatism they still believed that
the aristocrats were more morally
Superior and better than the poor but
they had a responsibility to raise the
poor up you know offer them a hand baz
put down the cigarettes and pick up a
croquet stick the people that moved into
to the Beacon Tree estate were given a
handbook of rules you couldn't just have
a disused caravan in your driveway with
like a broken washing machine out there
the idea of having standards wasn't a
terrible one it was fit but they they
often went a bit too far you know there
was definitely this kind of moral
superiority it led to things like they
wouldn't make a pub in this area they
had to be sober in order to live in this
property but regardless of a few less
beers with the boys this was a massive
upgrade from living in a slum I mean
come on but most of all Beck and tree
gave thousands and thousands and
thousands of people from the East End
and Beyond a home and I think for that
alone we should salute it however slowly
things will begin to change before we go
any further with this video I want to
give a massive shout out to Squarespace
for sponsoring they are the number one
platform for building and developing
your very own beautiful website you can
now have your own completely
personalized website with a new guided
design system where you choose from a
professionally created layout and
different styling options and it's
completely unique and Miz to what you
want and with the optimized SEO tools
you're going to appear for more people
in more search results helping you grow
as well they have flexible payments they
take so many different options PayPal
Apple pay in certain countries you can
do buy now pay later with after pay and
clear pay and they've got Squarespace AI
where you can do like your product
descriptions and written content on a
website you can focus on just making
your product really good and Squarespace
will take care of the rest so be sure to
head over to squarespace.com jimy theant
and to get 10% off your first purchase
of a website or a domain use the code
Jimmy the giant anyway back to the
[Music]
video by the 1930s Britain's Pimp My
slum scheme was going pretty well but
then it got infected by a new dope
strain of architecture called modernism
all right we did this in the milon Kings
video I'm not going to do it again but
we can actually see that original
modernism wasn't that bad when we look
at St Andrew's Garden in Liverpool a
modern and skillfully executed housing
provision for are the W Jers of
Liverpool which instead of taking
influence from British architecture
looked to Europe with the Horseshoe
estate Brits in Berlin this building
okay it's not the most beautiful but it
had brick it had different colors
different materials slope roofs it
wasn't just gray concrete or like a
glass fish bowl and it was built well
like it stands here today in good
condition and it's still used and as I
keep saying if you were in a slum
beforehand you're not going to start
questioning o I'm not sure on the
architectural decisions of this place
you're going to say give me the [ __ ]
keys we had to take a quick break from
Building Council houses in 1939 to 1945
cuz Britain was busy saving the world
but following the war these soldiers
came back to a country where nearly half
a million of the homes had been
destroyed by bombs and so the boys had
to quickly hop on the tools and just
start throwing up some
buildings in 1946 we got church or
Gardens and you might take a look at
this and think Jesus Christ what the
hell happened
we went insane building it was like a
fortnite World Cup final and we weren't
just creating new houses we were now
creating new entire towns and all of
this was built off of these crazy
radical ideas of urban planning by
people like leaber and Adolf loose to
think about brutalism is to think about
concrete brutalism all right brutalism
so brutalism was like a reaction to
modernism whereby from what I understand
leaber as he got older looked back at
his original modern buildings and said I
I need to start making buildings that
make you feel something and so he
created brutalism which was just raw
rough concrete and yeah they made you
feel something depressed this is Dennis
lon's National Theater completed in 1976
Prince Charles thought it looked like a
nuclear power
station what Charles meant was that it
was an industrial looking building
something that was rather Bleak and
uncompromising something that didn't
look like a theater but that was the
point I don't know who designs them I
don't know who they designed them for or
if they think that we feel or think any
differently than they
do there must be reasons why these
architect uh build these Flats in this
design and this hard Barrack looking way
because I'm sure they couldn't possibly
like the um structure and the Outlook of
them themselves I don't think there was
an awful lot of thought put into to it
if they would have only consulted
ordinary people who have to live in
these places what what we would like
many of the modernists are a reaction of
the horrors of World War I and World War
II where they specifically wanted to
depart from European tradition and So
within this movement a mood of
negativity towards the past and optimism
towards the future group but all that
kind of artsy fartsy talk aside
ultimately we made them cuz they're
cheap as chips to produce
if all goes according to plan by the
middle of the 1980s this Village will
have become a part of the largest New
Town ever built in Britain I think it's
ridiculous this is a good farming ground
why don't they go somewhere else where
there isn't no farming ground not far
away the British people of the 50s and
60s were starting to get a little bit
pissed that they were building entire
towns in their garden and so there was a
push to come up with newer ways of
creating houses but not encroaching on
Green Space and so in Essex harow a
brand new building was made that would
change everything the lawn this building
marked the beginning of the high-rise
Gold Rush post war though the real Trend
was to replace slums and bond houses
with high density Flats by 1975
440,000 new high-rise apartment Flats
had been created and that's because the
government was subsidizing every single
extra floor to a building so the
incentive was build into the sky and so
this led us to some absolute Beauties
like Robin Hood Estates should be blown
up place they made a point 15 20 years
ago it was voted by Nationwide as the
worst design Block in England Church
Hill Gardens Chalk Hill estate Chalk
Hill has been a problem since it was
built in 1966 one of the biggest Estates
in London it's always suffered more than
its fair share of hooliganism vandalism
and muggings hayate estate look when we
look at them now they look awful they
completely run down look terrible but
bear in mind the people that moved into
this a week prior were living in a slum
having rats nibbling at their toes now
they had fridge freezers they had Parks
they were safe they weren't living in a
biohazard anymore this era postwar gave
the working class a massive step up out
of poverty in 1979 42% of British people
lived in Council houses these Estates
when they were first built were loved
people loved them there was a sense of
community there you know they would look
out for one another and there was a
pride in where they came from he'd never
move off here he always said no we've
got everything hot water eating what
more can a working man want said explor
proximity living is concern in general I
think it's an example to the country so
what the [ __ ]
[Music]
happened among the 5 a/ half thousand
people on the fer estate at kid Brook
are 20 children living in a Twilight
world in the underground car Parks youth
workers discovered them sleeping rough
most of them abandoned by their families
UK began as a small group of teenagers
writing graffiti they've now progressed
to Street robbery and even more violent
offenses yeah there's been stabbings
people being sent away for stabbings
down new M on the alsb estate in
southeast London say they're living in
fear after a second murder in the area
within 3 months friend is dead yeah and
this is what we're doing to support him
yeah look what they're doing look look
there's been a lot of knife crime I've
had three murders in the last couple of
weeks how many people R you originally
Council housing was not associated in
any way with crime and in fact I read
this really good study that I'll link
below that talks about the decline in
social housing and how they became more
criminal over time and it all seems to
point to a very pivotal time of change
which was the ' 70s the' 70s in Britain
was a mad one it was it was a time of
high unemployment it was mass inflation
social unrest there were power outages
happening and so this is the backdrop of
the 70s crime is is going up it's not
looking good and there is one law that
is often pointed to to as the start of
the downfall of social housing and that
was the 1977 housing homeless persons
act what this did was change social
housing from being like a carrot on the
stick for the motivated working class to
now being a right for the most
vulnerable people of society and the
homeless became the priority and this
idea of housing based on need was open
to all sorts of interpretation and abuse
now look this all sounds well and good
it sounds sounds good to look after the
homeless people of course but it did
lead to some
problems if we kind of figure about the
incentive structure that that is in play
here beforehand it was effectively a way
of motivating the working class to work
hard they would get a property they
would then have pride in that property
cuz they earned it they deserved it and
they would take care of it and look
after it but I think the more
ideological side of the labor MPS of
that time who finally were not the ones
living in Council Estates they saw this
incentive structure as discriminatory
why should only the good workingclass
get a nice house what if good doesn't
even exist bro people say it's a it's
the kids that break everything it's the
kids that make a mess but I tell you
it's not when I first moved here every
day for three weeks I cleaned out the
shoots I cleaned out everything not 5
minutes later some dirty person will
come along and drop pill everything
dirty STS everything you can think of on
the floor it's not the kids it's some of
the peoples they come from slams and
they're going to make this a slam so
just imagine this whole community of
similarly minded Working Class People
motivated they work in the same
factories they send the kids to the same
school they have a tight-knit community
but now you could just jump to the front
of the queue of the housing list if you
were homeless unemployed those people
could be the types of people that have
serious mental health conditions drug
addiction problems Etc but instead of
making specific programs to take care of
the homeless of society you know help
them train them to get into jobs Etc but
now they were just being put into these
communities and what's more is
prioritized over workingclass people and
this started to create a bitter feeling
in the general public we're still tme
became a Dumping Ground for poor or
difficult families today two out of
three are on housing benefit half the
adults are unemployed tsme did become a
Dumping Ground that's half its problem
they basically just threw the doors open
for the first five or six years um just
to get anyone onto TSM but as the years
went on people saw TSM more as a prison
and began to resent the areas and lost
interest in all facilities and stopped
trying I've got a quote here from 1977
of Sir Robin Wales who is the mayor of
newm in East London he says that if you
walk in and say I'm homeless you get a
greater priority than if you walk in and
say I've managed to do something for
myself but I'm still looking for a
council property in 197
57,200 people said they were homeless
and this peaked at
151,925 1991 and so just bear all of
this in mind and consider that in the'
70s as well there was a general rise in
crime in alcoholism druggies and all of
this was likely happening in this era as
a reaction to the economic instabilities
plus the cuts to social housing and
benefits that were already starting to
happen in the' 70s plus this rise in
lowquality high-rise Flats where where
tons of them had been poorly built and
there was disasters and some of them
were demolished in burken head these two
blocks have lasted just 18 years now
they're going to be demolished because
they're literally rotten and because of
the economic climate the council's had
to cut funding to maintain these areas
keep them looking nice and so for the
council house it wasn't looking very
good and then it would receive its final
killing blow in 1979 now that the
election is over may we get together and
strive to serve and strengthen the
country of which we're so proud to be a
part big big mama thatch came in in 1979
to you know fix all of England's
problems but it would be the Housing Act
of 1980 that would introduce the idea of
right to buy through a policy of
purchasing Council houses by their
tenants a policy which was bitterly
opposed by the labor party a policy from
which many many people have profited and
are very grateful for that it basically
gave people who lived in Council houses
the opportunity for the first time in
their lives where they could actually
buy the property off of the council and
what's more it was at a massively
reduced rate this sounded very good you
know some people look down on you you
know oh you live in a council house and
um that's not good but when you own your
own property do go up in the world a
little bit Working Class People now had
an opportunity to get on the housing
ladder only 55% of the population in the
1980s owned their own home but by 1987
now 64% did these Council houses were
selling to the private individuals like
hot cakes but let's jump forward a lot
of years to 2015 and 2016 where home
ownership has declined from its high in
2003 of
70.9% back down to
62.5% the lowest level since 1985 so you
know if this was intended to bring baz
and Stacy up from the working class into
the home owning middle class then where
did these houses
go baz and Stace saw that their house
prices had rised amazingly it was great
and so they obviously sold their house
to go live in the cotor and live out the
Jeremy Clarks and dream don't get me
wrong I completely understand it I would
do 100% the same thing but you have to
start wondering who bought these houses
well it turns out that it's mainly
massive wealthy investment firms who buy
the house off of this middle class and
then rent it back to the working class
if we want to know what
economies without property owned middle
classes look like it's really easy to
see that because we the world is full of
them you can go to Brazil you can go to
South Africa you can go to Russia you
can go to India and you can see what
economies look like when you do not have
a property owning middle class Charles
go who was the son of Miss fur's housing
Minister Ian go he had bought 40 of the
120 Council Flats in one social housing
project called rampton so really what
I'm trying to [ __ ] illustrate in a
smart way is these social houses that
were funded by the taxpayer so you know
taxes that we all paid to build houses
to help the working class which it did
for a short period of time but it ended
up if you fast forward to the end of the
movie they just landed in the hands of
the ultra wealthy and shrunk the home
owning middle class if you don't have a
middle class Society you have a a rich
and poor society and if you don't have a
middle- class Society you don't need
middle class housing what you need is
Rich housing and poor housing and
increasingly that is what we will see
and so for the social housing that did
remain in the hands of the council yeah
it definitely didn't it didn't age well
in this study it shows that the
buildings that were built with better
quality with more traditional
architecture they surprisingly turned
out to be the most popular and more
people bought them but if you were
unfortunately put into one of them
thrown up shitty highrises no one really
wanted to buy them and so this led to a
phenomena this General Trend that
started to happen to the social Fabric
Council houses that is known as resid
ization tower blocks soar but few
predicted the squalor of so-called
Sinker States it's graffiti covered
walls its dark Alleyways its stinking
staircases today are monuments to the
decline it suffered since then in the
same study it notes that not all Council
states were seen as equally good if the
council thought that you were maybe one
of the less deserving of the people
wanted to get a council house they would
often be put into the [ __ ] Estates
creating the these Estates full of what
we could call naughty nigels and so
along with this change to social credit
that now incentivized people to be
homeless not to work you would even get
more money for the more kids you had if
you weren't married you'd get more money
some people even point to the
introduction of school league tables in
1992 leading to a rise in kids being
expelled from school in order to make it
look like your school's performance was
better these kids who are probably you
know maybe they struggled in school Etc
they would often be now just living on
the they're Council estate kids you know
kicking over bins and graffiti and they
have nothing to do all day and it's
believed that this is actually what
created the underclass that we later now
call chavs or really we call roadmen the
gang in and around the local shops
intimidates many of the residents I
don't go around there it's it's it's not
safe to go around there the the kids
hang around outside the pub and they
aggravate other people that go around
there they deliberately cause up around
now just imagine you're like you know
you're a hardworking class bloke you're
happy to spend all day earning your
crust get home have a beer give your
mrss a kiss go to bed do it all again
you probably don't want to live next
door to Crazy Steves who's smoking
bifter out the window listening 50 Cent
at 300 p.m. on a Wednesday hey bro shut
your mouth sorry mate
sorry this process moved the more
workingclass people out of these Estates
and so that left all of the naughty kids
to be put into one classroom together
with very little assistance to try and
raise them out into jobs Etc and
surprisingly that created problems video
describes the life of a gang which
Associates itself with the
estate teenagers wrapping Promises of
violence towards rival groups in other
areas it's been sold as the opportunity
of a lifetime the chance for families
from humble beginnings to get themselves
a secure footing on the London property
ladder but actually the right to buy
your Council home may not be such a
great deal hard I actually worked two
jobs to earn the money to put the
deposit down I literally worked from
9:00 till 5:00 and then 6:00 until
midnight and I was really happy that I
was able to buy my own home but 5 years
ago Beverly received a letter from
Souther Council revealing that all she
had worked for her home was going to be
bulldozed I'm going to be moved out due
to my local Council regenerating the
estate and basically taking our homes
under compulsory purchase compulsory
purchase is a medieval law that was
designed to give the crown the right to
flatten your house if they needed to
build a railway or like an army barracks
so under compulsory purchase the council
could knock on your door say look mate
we need your house here's £20 and you
have to get the [ __ ] out I'm
exaggerating but they could literally
offer half the market value it seemed
because they had to give you a price
that they deemed was fair and it led to
like this mafioso extortion that is
completely legal and there are many
examples of this but we'll focus on one
in particular the hagate
estate residents who have moved off the
hagate estate in South London under a
huge regeneration scheme have claimed
they weren't offered enough money to buy
another home locally hey gate was a [ __ ]
hole I know that because I used to go
there to do parkour and genuinely I was
scared for my life but there were good
jumps so you know sometimes you just
have to risk it from the late ' 90s to
the early 2000s there was plans to
redevelop this place and although most
of it was now boarded up and completely
derelict there were still some people
who remained and for the council that
was inconvenient and so they had to
evict them but in order to evict them
they had to buy their property some of
the offers for the property in London
were £80,000 bearing in mind in the
2000s a property the similar size and
the similar area would have been worth
about £300,000 so if the count is
kicking you out of your house and giving
you £80,000 where do you go you can't
now move down the road you have to leave
London your community where you grew up
where back in the 80s you were promised
this was a fantastic investment my
friend by the place only to find years
later the place is worth nothing and now
we're going to flatten it make luxury
apartments that are going to be sold
from the lowest price of £550,000 oh
thank you very
much but it turned out in 2017 that 100%
of the the flats that were sold at the
time were sold to private investment
firms but look surely at the end of the
day this means more money in the
council's pocket that they can give to
people and help right southwalk Council
sold this land to a private development
firm from Australia called land leas for
a whopping total of 50 million after
having spent £44 million on emptying it
where it's predicted for land leas it
has a gross development value of 9 90
million there's actually other reports
out there that claim that South Walker
State sold the the land at a loss and it
all just seems a bit fishy to me you had
a right to buy but the money that that
was taken from what you bought with was
going to build other houses other
Council houses that's right yeah which
never happened it's sad to see it but
social housing really Fell From Grace
and there's no more Vivid a moment than
on the 14th of June 2017 where a fire
broke out on a high-rise flat called
greenfeld towers and in its Glory Days
in that period Britain experienced the
biggest economic boom it had ever seen
up until that point raising people out
of slums to working class and then to
middle class if only for a brief moment
and to me I can't help but see it that
the country just opted for short-term
profit we sold the family silver and
instead of reinvesting the money into
the working class to raise everyone's
standard of living we have what we have
now and I'm telling you Britain is is
getting depressing I don't think there's
anyone these days that can deny the
obvious evidence that there is a shrink
in middle class that towns are dying and
places just look kind of [ __ ] here now
once the rich get richer they buy more
assets from the middle class middle
class gets poorer which means that the
rate of inequality increasing increases
more because the middle class has less
assets and the Rich has more assets so
we know things will get worse and
ultimately at the end of the
day the the speed of which life is
getting worse now
people are not going to accept it it's
sad to see and I hope that we fix it I
want to know your stories around Council
housing and your thoughts so comment
below if you want a further discussion
on this topic come join us on our
Discord I'll link that make sure you
like the video subscribe to the channel
I'll catch you in the next one peace
関連動画をさらに表示
Atualidades - A segregação socioespacial | Desenhando a Solução
FILM PENDEK DOKUMENTER: Tetap Berdiri di Tengah Alienasi | Kesenjangan sosial
John T. Dunlop Lecture: Angela Glover Blackwell
The failing of Pruitt Igoe explained in 5 minutes
ECO415Ch8.1
Why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer | Us & Them | DW Documentary
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)