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A timeline of housing history – the 2010s to present day
In our final trip back in time to celebrate Inside Housing’s 40th anniversary, Hannah Fearn, Jess McCabe and Faima Bakar revisit the 2010s and 2020s, and look at how we reported on the big stories. Pictures by Alamy
In the second decade of this century, Universal Credit was rolled out and the country was witness to a tragedy that has had huge implications for the sector – the Grenfell Tower fire.
Look back at how Inside Housing reported on these issues and other big housing stories up to the present day in the timelines below.
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The biggest stories from the 10s
Universal Credit
A dominant story in the mid-2010s was the roll-out of Universal Credit, introduced by the coalition government to bring many benefit payments – including housing benefit – into a single income paid monthly directly to tenants. Importantly, it sought to hand responsibility for paying rent to tenants, mimicking the responsibility of managing a salary, leaving housing associations at risk of large arrears. The benefits shake-up also introduced the Local Housing Allowance cap and the bedroom tax, which put a limit on housing benefit claimed for under-occupied homes. Almost a decade after the policy was brought into law, Universal Credit is still being rolled out – and is still controversial.
Grenfell Tower fire
The tragedy of Grenfell, which claimed the lives of 72 residents, marked a turning point for the social housing sector. The fire exposed crucial regulatory weaknesses and the ways that cost-cutting had been prioritised over safety, thrusting housing providers and local authorities into the public eye. The safety and security of the UK’s homes became a point of public discourse – a theme that continues almost a decade on. The implications also put other areas of housing policy under scrutiny, including leasehold law and shared ownership. The long-term implications of this critical moment will not be fully understood for a generation.
Best covers of the decade
17 April 2015 – As the Conservative government commits to expand the Right to Buy to housing associations after all, the sector fights back, branding the policy #WrongToBuy.
23 June 2017 – A striking photographic cover captures the horror, devastation and shock of the Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people. The tragedy had been forewarned by safety experts and tenants, and Inside Housing’s Never Again campaign set out some early calls for change.
40 years of Inside Housing – the other decades
A timeline of housing history – the 1980s
This month marks the 40th anniversary of Inside Housing. Over the next few days, we will look back on four decades of housing history, as reported by the publication. Jess McCabe starts by going back to the 1980s
A timeline of housing history – the 1990s
As Inside Housing turns 40 years old, we are looking back over four decades of housing history, as reported by the publication. James Riding takes a walk down memory lane to the ’90s, in our second instalment
A timeline of housing history – the 2000s
As Inside Housing reflects on its reporting of yesteryear to mark its 40th anniversary, Katharine Swindells, Jess McCabe and Faima Bakar return to the first decade of the 21st century
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