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The UK as a whole does not care about housing policy (and by extension the wellbeing of the population at large). In the mid 20th century we engaged in a huge

The UK as a whole does not care about housing policy (and by extension the wellbeing of the population at large). In the mid 20th century we engaged in a huge campaign of housebuilding, the result being that my relatively poor family were able to rent a terraced house with garden front and back for decades. I owe pretty much everything to that. Today? Nothing. Local governments don't care, landowners don't care, the national government doesn't care, no-one is seriously protesting, it's just not a thing. I'm considering moving out of the country soon, and if I do, this will be the number one reason - we've basically gone back to a feudal society in which you either already own property, or else you fight over increasingly small scraps. My best understanding of why this is happening is that this is all based on some sort of silly ponzi game in which everyone pretends that their home is worth lots of pictures of the queen's face, and when the majority landowning generation retires, they'll all swap houses and somehow loads of money and labour will appear from somewhere to look after them.

jakobegger 7y ago
It's not just the UK -- housing prices are rising everywhere. I think it's a consequence of low interest rates. Because interest rates are so low, people can afford a 30 year mortage -- nobody would have been able to afford the interest rates on this in the 80ies or 90ies. This means that property owners can now ask for insane prices, and someone will pay them. Also, since interest rates on savings accounts are practically zero, people look to real estate as a safe investment -- further driving housing prices.
- esotericn 7y ago
  House prices are just a matter of allocation; deciding in the competition whether you or I get to live in a small or large place; or indeed any place (tempered by our preferences on % of income/wealth to spend on housing). Nah, I'm talking about the actual existence of places to live. We used to _build new places_ all over the place, speculatively. The local and national governments used massive plots of land to build huge estates. We stopped doing that. The numbers and prices and stuff are besides the point. The home that I am currently occupying will, barring nationalization or excessive tax, be in my family for the next 60 years. The price of it is essentially irrelevant. What matters is that it exists, as one house which homes one family.
AdrianB1 7y ago
I think the population of UK increased a lot since mid 20th century, while the land is the same, increasing the population density and competition for resources, driving prices up. Economy 101.
- esotericn 7y ago
  The land remains static, sure. The housing doesn't have to. It's effectively unlimited, only bounded by construction materials and political will. We have the former. The latter is severely lacking.
- mytailorisrich 7y ago
  In London the population decreased throughout the second half of the 20th century and has only recently reached its previous peak of the early 1950s. Outside of London there are many areas were real estate price are low. The main issues in the UK are that most of the jobs are around London and that the public transports infrastructure is poor (actually even roads) yet expensive. So many people end having to live around London while paying up to £500 a month to commute on unreliable trains. Another issue is that flats are frowned upon and usually poor quality.

jakobegger 7y ago

It's not just the UK -- housing prices are rising everywhere. I think it's a consequence of low interest rates. Because interest rates are so low, people can afford a 30 year mortage -- nobody would have been able to afford the interest rates on this in the 80ies or 90ies. This means that property owners can now ask for insane prices, and someone will pay them. Also, since interest rates on savings accounts are practically zero, people look to real estate as a safe investment -- further driving housing prices.

esotericn 7y ago
House prices are just a matter of allocation; deciding in the competition whether you or I get to live in a small or large place; or indeed any place (tempered by our preferences on % of income/wealth to spend on housing). Nah, I'm talking about the actual existence of places to live. We used to _build new places_ all over the place, speculatively. The local and national governments used massive plots of land to build huge estates. We stopped doing that. The numbers and prices and stuff are besides the point. The home that I am currently occupying will, barring nationalization or excessive tax, be in my family for the next 60 years. The price of it is essentially irrelevant. What matters is that it exists, as one house which homes one family.

AdrianB1 7y ago

I think the population of UK increased a lot since mid 20th century, while the land is the same, increasing the population density and competition for resources, driving prices up. Economy 101.

esotericn 7y ago
The land remains static, sure. The housing doesn't have to. It's effectively unlimited, only bounded by construction materials and political will. We have the former. The latter is severely lacking.
mytailorisrich 7y ago
In London the population decreased throughout the second half of the 20th century and has only recently reached its previous peak of the early 1950s. Outside of London there are many areas were real estate price are low. The main issues in the UK are that most of the jobs are around London and that the public transports infrastructure is poor (actually even roads) yet expensive. So many people end having to live around London while paying up to £500 a month to commute on unreliable trains. Another issue is that flats are frowned upon and usually poor quality.