Local authorities doing it for themselves: austerity, the direct provision of housing and changing central-local relations in England

Abstract

Since 2010, local authorities in England have faced a dramatic cut in funding from central government, associated with a neoliberal super-austerity seen in many countries. At the same time, these authorities have also been increasingly concerned about the problems associated with private sector delivery of housing and the consequences of their increasing responsibilities for dealing with homelessness. The result has been a resurgence of local authority direct engagement in housing provision. Drawing on extensive survey data, this paper explores the extent of this housing delivery activity, the various means utilised and the motivations for this engagement, which includes activity on a spectrum from more entrepreneurial income generation to more socially focussed actions that align to the ‘New Municipalism’. We conclude that this growing housing provision activity by local authorities has the potential to reduce dependence on central government and could help reinvigorate the local state, albeit with associated risks.