Raising rachman: The origins of the rent act, 1957

Historical Journal

Volumn 45, Issue 4, 2002, Pages 843-868

  Simmonds, Alan G V ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HULL   (United Kingdom)

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EID: 85021883667     PISSN: 0018246X     EISSN: 14695103     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S0018246X02002704     Document Type: Article

References (208)

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50. H. Macmillan, Tides of fortune, 1945–1955 (London, 1969), pp. 444–458.
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52. A. Simmonds, ‘Conservative governments and the housing question, 1951–1959’ (PhD thesis, Leeds, 1995), ch. 1
53. R. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury: the social services committee and the failure to reform the welfare state, 1955–1957’, Journal of Social Policy, 18 (1989), pp. 505–526.
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56. J. Short, Housing in Britain: the post-war experience (London, 1982), pp. 47–54
57. Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Houses - the next step, Cmnd 8996 (London, 1953).
58. See Ministry of Housing and Local Government,The Rent Act 1957: report of inquiry, Cmnd 1246 (London, 1960)
59. M. Barnett, The politics of legislation: the Rent Act 1957 (London, 1969), p. 7 and ch. 13
60. D. Donnison, C. Cockburn, and T. Collett, Housing since the Rent Act: an interim report from the Rowntree Trust housing study (Welwyn, 1961)
61. Holmans, Housing policy in Britain, pp. 407–416.
62. ‘CM (55), 29th conclusions’, 26 Aug. 1955, PRO, CAB 128/9; see also ‘CM (55) 35th conclusions’, 18 Oct. 1955, PRO, CAB 128/9.
63. ‘Notes for ministerial committee’ (n.d.), PRO, HLG 29/423.
64. HLG.
65. See Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Houses - the next step, pp. 6–7.
66. E. Sharp, ‘Housing the past ten years’, The Chartered Surveyor, Dec. 1956, pp. 291–297.
67. E. Powell, ‘Draft of memorandum on review of the rent acts’, 7 Mar. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/423
68. Powell to minister, 21 July 1956, PRO, HLG 29/424.
69. ‘The effect of part II of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954’, PRO, HLG 29/423
70. Barnett, The politics of legislation, p. 76.
71. Sharp, ‘Housing: the past ten years’, pp. 292–293.
72. ‘The effect of part II of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954’, PRO, HLG 29/423
73. Holmans, Housing policy, p. 173.
74. ‘Housing subsidies and rents: outline of proposals’, June 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
75. J. G. Cox, ‘The decontrol of rents’, 24 Nov. 1955, PRO, T227/1089
76. ‘Mr Goodman's note after the discussion’, 9 May 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
77. Ministry of Housing, Houses - the next step, p. 8.
78. See also ‘The relationship between valuation and rents under the rents restrictions acts in England and Wales at Feb. 1953. Note by the statistician’, Mar. 1953, PRO, HLG 41/122
79. E. Sharp, The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (London, 1969), pp. 193–195
80. Barnett, The politics of legislation, p. 79.
81. ‘Economic situation: housing policy: memorandum by the chancellor of the Exchequer’, CP (55) 116, 3 Sept. 1955, PRO, CAB 129/77
82. P. Baldwin to Mr Turnbull, Mr Maude, 5 Oct. 1956, PRO, T227/1090.
83. J. Sadler, ‘Rent control’, 4 Jan. 1956, PRO, T227/1089.
84. P. Baldwin, ‘Rent control’, 11 Jan. 1956, PRO, T227/1089.
85. PRO. See also Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Report of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government for 1955, Cmnd 9876 (London, 1956), pp. 4–6.
86. Baldwin, ‘Rent control’; PRO, T227/1089.
87. Baldwin to V. Lipman, 5 Nov. 1956, PRO, T227/1090.
88. PRO.
89. PRO. See also Cox, ‘The decontrol of rents’, 24 Nov. 1955, PRO, T227/1089.
90. See The economic implications of full employment, Cmnd 9725 (London, 1956), p. 11.
91. Sadler, ‘Rent control’, 4 Jan. 1956, PRO, T227/1089.
92. Memorandum by C. G. Thorley, 6 Apr. 1956, PRO, T227/415
93. see also The national plan, Cmnd 2764 (London, 1965), p. 170
94. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, p. 506
95. Jefferys, Retreat from new Jerusalem, pp. 36–41
96. A. Booth, ‘Inflation, expectations, and the political economy of Conservative Britain, 1951–1964’, Historical Journal, 43 (2000), pp. 827–847.
97. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, p. 506.
98. ‘Resignation at the Treasury’., p. 508
99. see also ‘Social services: the next five years, memorandum by the chancellor of the Exchequer’, CP (55) 57, 1 July 1955, PRO CAB 129/76
100. ‘CM (55) 29th conclusions’, 26 Aug. 1955, PRO, CAB 128/29.
101. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, p. 509
102. ‘Economic situation: housing policy’, CP (55) 116, 3 Sept. 1955, PRO, CAB 129/77.
103. See J. B. Cullingworth, Housing and local government in England and Wales (London, 1966), pp. 36–37.
104. Imperial Calendar, 1955
105. see also Barnett, The politics of legislation, pp. 149–153
106. H. Symon, ‘The Association of Land and Property Owners to E. Sharp’, 21 Oct. 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
107. See Barnett, The politics of legislation, p. 142.
108. See National Federation of Property Owners, The voice of the press demands rent reform (London, 1952)
109. Times, 28 Sept. 1954, 29 Sept. 1954, 7 Feb. 1956, 12 Oct. 1956.
110. Conservative Research Department, Notes on Current Politics, Apr.-Dec. 1955, passim
111. see also G. Block, Developments in rent control between 1915 and 1955 (London, 1955).
112. G. Howe and C. Jones, Houses to let (London, 1956), p. 39.
113. Houses to let., p. 38.
114. Times, 15 Jan. 1957.
115. National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations (NUCUA), Seventy-third annual conference, programme of proceedings (London, 1953), pp. 56ff
116. NUCUA, Seventy-fourth annual conference, programme of proceedings (London, 1954), pp. 68ff
117. NUCUA, Seventy-sixth annual conference, programme of proceedings (London, 1956), pp. 51ff.
118. NUCUA, seventy-sixth annual conference, Llandudno, 11–13 Oct. 1956, official report, pp. 51–6.
119. A claim made by Weiler, ‘The rise and fall of the Conservatives’ “grand design for housing ”’, p. 131, citing ‘minutes, housing committee, 20 Nov. 1956’, Conservative party archive, Bodleian Library, Oxford, CRD, 2/23/12.
120. See Barnett, The politics of legislation, p. 51
121. D. Donnison, The government of housing (Harmondsworth, 1967), p. 351.
122. Hickinbotham to Phillips, 25 Mar. 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
123. ‘Statistics for the rent review’, V. Lipman, 15 June 1956, PRO, HLG 29/424.
124. Phillips, ‘Note to the minister’, 18 June 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
125. Cox, ‘The decontrol of rents’, 24 Nov. 1955, PRO, T227/1089.
126. Hickinbotham to Phillips, 8 July 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
127. ‘The economic situation: memorandum by the chancellor of the Exchequer’, CP (56) 17, 21 Jan. 1956, PRO, CAB 129/79
128. ‘CM (56) 6th conclusions, 24 Jan. 1956’, PRO, CAB 128/30
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130. ‘Housing policy and proposed new rent bill, 1954–1957: memorandum by the minister of housing and local government’, cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) first meeting, 26 Mar. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
131. Fowler (Ministry of Labour) to Hickinbotham, 7 Nov. 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
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133. Phillips, ‘Note to the minister’, 3 June 1955, PRO, HLG 29/423.
134. PRO, CAB.
135. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) first meeting, 26 Mar. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
136. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) second meeting, 16 Apr. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
137. PRO, CAB. See also E. Powell: ‘Draft of memorandum on review of the rent acts’, 7 Mar. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/423.
138. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) second meeting, 16 Apr. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320
139. ‘Rent restriction: memorandum by the minister of housing and local government’, CP (56) 101, 20 Apr. 1956, PRO, CAB 129/81
140. CM (56) 31st conclusions, 26 Apr. 1956, PRO, CAB 128/30.
141. ‘CM (56) 31st conclusions’, 26 Apr. 1956, PRO, CAB 128/30.
142. ‘CM (56) 55th conclusions’, 31 July 1956, PRO, CAB 128/30.
143. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) third meeting, 25 July 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
144. ‘Rents: memorandum by the financial secretary to the Treasury’, RR (56) 7, 12 Sept. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
145. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) fourth meeting, 13 Sept. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
146. Sharp to minister, 3 Sept. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/425.
147. PRO, HLG.
148. ‘Memorandum: block decontrol’, Hickinbotham to minister, 26 Sept. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/425.
149. Phillips to minister, ‘Rent Bill’, 13 Sept. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/425.
150. J.E. P. to minister, 24 Sept. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/425.
151. ‘Immediate decontrol of higher valued houses: memorandum by the minister of housing and local government’, RR (56) 8, 5 Oct. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
152. Cabinet committee on the rent restrictions acts, RR (56) fifth meeting, 8 Oct. 1956, PRO, CAB 134/1320.
153. ‘CM (56) 73rd conclusions’, 24 Oct. 1956, PRO, CAB 128/30.
154. PRO, CAB. See also Report of Ministry of Housing and Local Government 1957, Cmnd 419 (London, 1958), pp. 4–5
155. ‘How the Rent Act works’, Economist, 22 June 1957.
156. Report of Ministry of Housing and Local Government 1957, p. 4
157. Donnison, Housing policy since the war, pp. 26–27.
158. Donnison, Cockburn, and Corlett, Housing since the Rent Act, p. 84
159. see also Ministry of Housing and Local Government,The Rent Act 1957, report of inquiry, p. 26.
160. Calculated from Ministry of Housing, The Rent Act 1957, report of inquiry, table 9 (b), p. 30.
161. Donnison, Cockburn, and Corlett, Housing since the Rent Act, table 24, p. 56, and p. 60.
162. See J. B. Cullingworth, Housing needs & planning policy (London, 1965), pp. 24–25.
163. Ministry of Housing, The Rent Act 1957, report of inquiry, p. 21;
164. Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Rent control: statistical information, Cmnd 17 (London, 1956).
165. See also D. Donnison, ‘Aftermath of the Rent Act’, Manchester Guardian, 9 and 10 July 1959.
166. Donnison, Cockburn, and Corlett, Housing since the Rent Act, p. 32.
167. See D. Donnison, The government of housing (Harmondsworth, 1967), p. 194.
168. Donnison, Cockburn, and Corlett, Housing since the Rent Act, ch. 3.
169. ‘Memorandum by the minister of housing and local government’, C (57) 32, 13 Feb. 1957, PRO, CAB 129/85.
170. ‘CC (57) 11th conclusions’, 15 Feb. 1957, PRO, CAB 128/31 pt 1.
171. Macmillan to Thorneycroft, 24 Apr. 1957, PRO, PREM 11/1873.
172. Thorneycroft to Macmillan, 21 May 1957, PRO, PREM 11/1873.
173. Macmillan to Thorneycroft, 24 May 1957, PRO, PREM 11/1873.
174. Thorneycroft to Macmillan, 4 June 1957, PRO, PREM 11/1873.
175. See Jefferys, Retreat from new Jerusalem, pp. 64–73
176. J. Turner, Macmillan (Harlow, 1994), pp. 227–238
177. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, pp. 518–523.
178. See PRO, HLG 41/146.
179. ‘Note: Rent Act’, 19 Mar. 1958
180. prime minister's minute, 24 Mar. 1958, PRO, PREM 11/2357.
181. See PRO, HLG, 29/438
182. P. Bridgen and R. Lowe, Welfare policy under the Conservatives, 1951–1964 (Kew, 1998), p. 222.
183. Report of the committee on housing in Greater London (chairman: Sir Milner Holland), Cmnd 2605 (London, 1965), pp. 180–3, 251–2, and appendix III
184. N. Timmins, The five giants: a biography of the welfare state (London, 1996), pp. 189–191.
185. See also J. Davis, ‘Rents and race in 1960s London: new light on rachmanism’, Twentieth Century British History, 12 (2001), pp. 69- 92.
186. Timmins, The five giants, p. 191.
187. See N. Crafts, ‘Economic growth’, in N. F. R. Crafts and N. W. C. Woodward, eds., The British economy since 1945 (Oxford, 1991), pp. 261–290
188. C. Bean and N. Crafts, ‘British economic growth since 1945: relative economic decline … and renaissance’, in N. Crafts and G. Toniolo, eds., Economic growth in Europe since 1945 (Cambridge, 1996), pp. 131–172.
189. See M. Kirby, ‘Supply-side management’, in Crafts and Woodward, eds., The British economy since 1945, pp. 236–260.
190. See Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, pp. 508–509
191. J. Tomlinson, “‘Liberty with order”: Conservative economic policy, 1951–1964’, in Francis and Zweiniger-Bargielowska, eds., The Conservatives and British society, 1880–1990, p. 276.
192. J. Walshe, ‘Industrial organization and competition policy’, in Crafts and Woodward, eds., The British economy since 1945, p. 363
193. Tomlinson, ‘Liberty with order’, p. 277.
194. Lowe, ‘Resignation at the Treasury’, p. 520.
195. Ministry of Labour, ‘1953–1954, household expenditure: report of an enquiry into household expenditure’, PRO, LAB 24/1236.
196. See Powell, ‘Clock dials’, 24 Sept. 1956, PRO, HLG 29/425.
197. Cullingworth, Housing needs and planning policy, pp. 24–25.
198. Daunton, A property-owning democracy, ch. 2.
199. See B. Lund, Housing problems and housing policy (Harlow, 1996), pp. 41–43.
200. Donnison, The government of housing, p. 194.
201. Jefferys, Retreat from new Jerusalem, p. 68
202. R. Lowe, ‘The replanning of the welfare state, 1957–1964’, in Francis and Zweiniger-Bargielowska, eds., The Conservatives and British society, 1880–1990, p. 266.
203. Macmillan to Thorneycroft, 24 May 1957, PRO, PREM 11/1873.
204. See Cullingworth, Housing needs and planning policy, pp. 40–41.
205. Holmans, Housing policy in Britain, pp. 419–420.
206. R. Lowe, ‘The replanning of the welfare state, 1957–1964’, pp. 268–269.
207. ‘The replanning of the welfare state, 1957–1964’.
208. See R. Lowe, The welfare state in Britain since 1945, table A.4, p. 352.