NINO STAFFA housing assistance ... These figures mean that every household in the bottom quarter of incomes receives on average £ 85 p.a. of housing assistance whereas every household in the top quarter of incomes receives on average £ 151 p.a. of housing assistance » (59). The private rented sector on the other hand has been constantly ignored by the legislators and bureaucrats of both major parties despite the fact that it is in this sector that the worst housing conditions are to be found. GOVERNMENT POLICIES & THEIR SHORT TERM FUTURE During this century the government (led by both main parties) has managed to reduce the slums, overcrowding, and housing stress in general. However, certain problems remain and even increase, as is the case with homelessness, not to mention « new » problems such as a growing amount of stigmatised and virtually unlettable council housing. In the early seventies it seemed that housing policy had made sufficient progress to enable the policy-makers to envisage the solution of the remaining problems within a relatively short period of time. It was recognised by both parties at the end of the war that the first task was to build rapidly and also to eradicate the slums. « Slum clearance » was merely a continuation of pre-war policy which had begun in the 1930's but had to be abandoned in 1939. Throughout the post-war era the manifestoes of both major political parties expressed the same aims of more house building, and eradication of the slums. The Conservatives laid the emphasis on private ownership and private building whilst the Labour Party's policies included« land nationalisation»,« rent controls» and« limited municipalisation ». As a result of the post-war housing policy the tenure pattern changed dramatically. « In 1951, 52% of the population were private renters, 29% owner occupiers and 18% local authority tenants. By 1971 these percentages were 17%, 52% and 31% respectively. Public housing and owner occupation were firmly established as the (59) BOYD C.: op. cit., pp. 140-142. 40
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