Empowering Glasgow’s tenants through community ownership?

Post 1997, stock transfer has been pivotal to the housing and regeneration agenda of the New Labour government, both at the UK and devolved level. Although a heavily researched policy area, stock transfer research has tended to focus quite narrowly on the perspectives of policymakers, practitioners or members of the transfer association's governing body. To address this research gap and focus more explicitly on the voices of local residents, this paper draws on the case study of the unique two-stage Glasgow housing stock transfer in order to explore 'community ownership' and 'tenant empowerment' from the perspective of 'lay' tenants. Political ambitions for direct democracy and communitarian endeavour have been central to stock transfer agendas in Scotland, where the policy has developed quite distinctly compared with the rest of the UK. Focus group research with tenants in Glasgow, however, highlights that empowerment was not an important priority for tenants at the point of transfer; that the transfer has delivered mixed outcomes in terms of local tenant control; and on the key issue of support for 'full' community ownership tenants were unconvinced, and expressed a need for more information.PostprintPeer reviewe

The ‘frustrated’ housing aspirations of generation rent

No abstract available

Social housing and the "new localism" : a strategy of governance for austere times

Drawing upon research on Scottish social housing policy, this chapter highlights how the ‘new localism’ represents a mentality of rule that seeks to govern people through their bonds and attachments to place-based communities. In a period of austerity, the mobilisation of the voluntary and community sector has been at the heart of public policy reforms. This is clearly visible in Scotland, whereby policy has sought to re-imagine housing associations as ‘community-anchor organisations’ affording them a key-role in tackling place-based inequalities. However, the empirical data also underlines the messiness of projects of rule, and how power’s effects can never be guaranteed.Postprin

The future of community housing in Scotland: some thoughts and reflections

This paper will look at the future of the community housing sector in Scotland. It will reflect upon the sector’s origins and evolution, and contextualise its future development in light of imminent public sector cuts and the shift from ‘social’ to ‘affordable’ housing. It will argue that despite the rhetoric of the ‘Big Society’, budgetary pressures and rationalisation within the sector may serve to undermine the existence and success of small, place-based community organisations

An Introduction to the Special Issue – The Big Society, Localism and Housing Policy: Recasting State–Citizen Relations in an Age of Austerity

"The Big Society, Localism and Housing Policy" was the theme of a seminar series funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (2012-14) in the UK. A collaborative venture between the Universities of St Andrews, Sheffield, Reading and Queen’s University Belfast – it brought together academics, policy-makers and practitioners from across the UK to critique contemporary political debates in the context of devolved policy-making in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The papers in this special issue emerged from that seminar series. Whilst the policy discussions that follow are very much UK focused, the wider narratives around localism, empowerment, citizenship and welfare reform have a much broader international relevance as this editorial introduction explains

Generation rent is a myth - housing prospects for millennials are determined by class

First paragraph: Millennials have been labelled "generation rent", as growing numbers of young people are renting their homes for longer periods of their lives than their parents' generation. Home ownership and social housing are increasingly out of reach for young people – a situation aggravated by the challenging youth labour market, rising student debt and welfare reforms, all of which make it more difficult for them to fly the nest and set up their own home.https://theconversation.com/generation-rent-is-a-myth-housing-prospects-for-millennials-are-determined-by-class-10899

Low Income Private Renters: tenancy rights and emotional wellbeing

The private rented sector (PRS) in the UK has undergone a transformation in recent decades. It is now housing more and more people, and for longer periods of their lives. The PRS tenant base is now much more diverse. It is the second largest tenure in England, and is housing increasing numbers of low income and vulnerable households.https://hqnetwork.co.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n12782.pdf&ver=2812

Hysteresis : understanding the housing aspirations gap

The research ‘Understanding the Housing Aspirations of People in Scotland’ was funded by the Scottish Government.Drawing on qualitative research on housing aspirations in Scotland, the objectives of this paper are three-fold. Firstly, this paper will contextualise the subject of housing aspirations within relevant research literature and situate it within wider debates which revolve around the relationship between housing and social class. Secondly, in order to understand the implications of the research, this paper uses Bourdieu’s notion of ‘sociodicy’ to help explain the ‘social’ reasons which incline people to have housing aspirations. Thirdly, the data will be analysed to understand the differences in ‘aspirations’ between groups, concluding that the generational differences, which correspond to the epochal changes in the economy, are more important than class differences when understanding the uneven distribution of housing outcomes and housing wealth in developed societies. This paper concludes that the Bourdieusian concept of hysteresis explains the gap between the subjective expectations of young ‘professionals’ and the objective chances of their realisation.PostprintPeer reviewe

Hysteresis: Understanding the Housing Aspirations Gap

Drawing on qualitative research on housing aspirations in Scotland, the objectives of this article are threefold. Firstly, this article will contextualise the subject of housing aspirations within relevant research literature and situate it within wider debates which revolve around the relationship between housing and social class. Secondly, in order to understand the implications of the research, this article uses Bourdieu's notion of 'sociodicy' to help explain the 'social' reasons which incline people to have housing aspirations. Thirdly, the data will be analysed to understand the differences in 'aspirations' between groups, concluding that the generational differences, which correspond to the epochal changes in the economy, are more important than class differences when understanding the uneven distribution of housing outcomes and housing wealth in developed societies. The article concludes that the Bourdieusian concept of hysteresis explains the gap between the subjective expectations of young 'professionals' and the objective chances of their realisation

Landlords will be forbidden from evicting tenants for no reason - but reform has only just begun

First paragraph: Change is coming. Soon, private tenants in England will have the security they need to call their rented house a home. The UK government has announced plans to abolish “no fault” Section 21 evictions in England, meaning that landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants without a legitimate reason.https://theconversation.com/landlords-will-be-forbidden-from-evicting-tenants-for-no-reason-but-reform-has-only-just-begun-11558