Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919

{{Short description|Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}} {{Use British English|date=December 2018}} {{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919{{efn|Section 52(2).}} | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | long_title = An Act to amend the enactments relating to the Housing of the Working Classes, Town Planning, and the acquisition of small dwellings. | year = 1919 | citation = 9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 35 | territorial_extent = England & Wales{{efn|Section 51.}} | royal_assent = 31 July 1919 | commencement = 31 July 1919{{efn|The Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793.}} | repeal_date = 1 April 1986 | amends = {{ubli|Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890|Housing of the Working Classes Act 1900|Housing of the Working Classes Act 1903|Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1909}} | amendments = {{ubli|Housing, &c. Act 1923|Town Planning Act 1925|Town Planning (Scotland) Act 1925|Housing Act 1936}} | repealing_legislation = Housing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985 | related_legislation = | status = Repealed | original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/9-10/35/contents/enacted | use_new_UK-LEG = no }}

The '''Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919''' (9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 35) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1919 |title=Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1919/35/contents/enacted |access-date=27 July 2022 |website=legilslation.gov.uk}}</ref> It was also known as the '''Addison Act''' after Minister of Health, Christopher Addison, who was Minister for Housing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newcastleareas.wordpress.com/2019/08/11/100-years-exhibition-the-1919-act/|title=100 years exhibition – the 1919 Act|last=Geography|first=Kay's|date=2019-08-11|website=Newcastle residential areas|language=en|access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref> The act was passed to allow the building of new houses after the First World War,<ref>{{Cite web|title=How prepared was Britain for peace?|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/outcomes1_02.shtml|website=BBC Schools Online|publisher=BBC Schools|access-date=29 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229141550/http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/outcomes1_02.shtml|archive-date=29 December 2018|year=2002}}</ref> and marked the start of a long 20th-century tradition of state-owned housing in planned council estates. A separate act was passed for Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robb |first=Steven |date=2019-08-19 |title=Housing the Heroes – The 1919 Housing Act {{!}} Hist Env Scotland |url=https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2019/08/1919-housing-act/ |access-date=2022-07-27 |website=Historic Environment Scotland Blog |language=en}}</ref>

==Background== The 1919 act followed on from the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1909 (9 Edw. 7. c. 44) and the 1917 Tudor Walters Committee Report into the provision of housing in the United Kingdom; the latter commissioned by Parliament with a view to postwar construction. In part, it was a response to the shocking lack of fitness amongst many recruits during World War I, which was attributed to poor living conditions. That belief summed up in a housing poster of the period that "you cannot expect to get an A1 population out of C3 homes",<ref name="Dunroamin">{{Cite book|last1=Oliver|first1=Paul|last2=Davis|first2=Ian|last3=Bentley|first3=Ian|author-link1=Paul Oliver|title=Dunroamin: The Suburban Semi and its Enemies|date=9 November 1981|publisher=Barrie & Jenkins|location=London|isbn=978-0091459307|page=31|edition=1st}}</ref> in reference to the period's military fitness classifications.

==Terms== It provided subsidies to local authorities and aimed to help finance the construction of 500,000 houses within three years.

Section 41(1) provided that the London County Council could build houses outside the County of London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1919/35/pdfs/ukpga_19190035_en.pdf|format=PDF|title=Housing, Town Planning, &c, Act, 1019. [9 & 10 GEO. 5. Cii. 35.]|website=Legislation.gov.uk|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref> The provision was used to build 'out-county' estates, such as Becontree.

==Results== Not all of the funding was ultimately made available, as the subsidies were scrapped in 1922 under the Geddes Axe austerity programme. Only 213,000 homes were built under the 1919 act scheme.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/overview/councilhousing/|title=Council housing|website=UK Parliament|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/overview/councilhousing/|title=Council housing|website=UK Parliament|language=en|access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Schifferes |first1=Steve |title=Homes Fit for Heroes: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing |url=https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02-03_Schifferes_HomesforHeroes-T.pdf |publisher=Gresham College |access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref> The first to be completed were at Milton Green in Weston-super-Mare.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Poole |first1=Sharon |title=History & Guide: Weston-super-Mare |date=2002 |publisher=Tempus Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=0-7524-2631-1 |page=85}}</ref>

== Subsequent developments == The whole act was repealed by section 3(1) of, and schedule 1 to, the Housing (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985, which came into force on 1 April 1986.

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{UK-LEG|asmade=yes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Housing, Town Planning, andc. Act 1919}} Category:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1919 Category:Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England and Wales Category:Repealed United Kingdom Acts of Parliament Category:Public housing in the United Kingdom Category:Local government legislation in England and Wales Category:Public housing in England Category:1919 in England Category:1919 in Wales Category:United Kingdom planning law Category:Housing in the United Kingdom