Social housing initiatives

Public housing in the United Kingdom provided the majority of rented accommodation in the country until 2011. Houses built for public or social housing use are built by local authorities and collectively known as council houses. Before 1865, housing for the poor was provided solely by the private sector. Council houses were built on council estates, where frequently other amenities like schools and shops were provided. From the 1950s, blocks of flats and three- or four-storey blocks of maisonnettes were widely built too. Flats and houses were also built in mixed estates.