Political Party Control and the Sale of Local Authority Dwellings 1974–1983

Abstract

The sale of local-authority-owned homes has been a controversial issue in Britain, especially since the 1980 Housing Act provided tenants with a ‘right-to-buy’ their homes. This paper is an analysis of whether the opposition of the Labour Party to these sales has been translated into a distinct antisales local government policy stance. All metropolitan and Greater London lower-tier authorities and a sample of one in five shire districts were investigated. The results show that Labour control was linked with reduced sales levels, even after allowance was made for council housing characteristics, tenants' wealth, and other relevant demand factors. Very recently Labour councils have had higher rates of public housing sales, suggesting that the Conservative Government has eventually been able to circumvent Labour opposition and ‘release’ previously ‘bottled-up’ demand for house purchasing.