NINO STAFFA Table 3: Unfitness and Lack of Amenities: England and Wales 1976 thousands (percentages in brackets) Rented Owner- from Other Vacant All occupied Local Tenures Tenures Authority Unfit Dwellings No fixed 310(3) 49(1) 384(16) 151(30) 894(5) bath in bathroom 302(3) 47(1) 426(17) 126(25) 901(5) No inside wc 407(4) 161(3) 471(19) 129(26) 1,638(9) Lacking one or more basic amenities 547(5) 280(6) 640(26) 166(33) 1,633(9) All Dwellings 10,125(100) 5,067(100) 2,444(100) 497(100) 18,133(100) (19) It is interesting to note that the occurrence of these features in the « Other Teneures » category is of much higher frequency than for owner occupation. Private rented accommodation is mostly concentrated in the « inner city» and thus it is not surprising to find that much of the debate about the ills of the « inner city» centres around the trends of the private rented sector. Whilst overall housing conditions have improved considerably during this century, particularly in the post-war era, improvement has not taken place evenly in all areas, with the result that a marked concentration of substandard housing has occurred in particular regions (and especially in the inner city areas). It seems, therefore, that whilst the housing conditions of the majority of the population have improved considerably, the housing conditions of those who count least in the corporate hierarchy have steadily deteriorated. Not only have the lowest strata of society not enjoyed much improvement in their housing conditions but they have also been crowded into fewer and fewer « undesirable » areas where they can find (or (19) HMSO, op. cit., p. 56. 24
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