to the expenditure of scarce public resources on high-priced housing for a small
proportion of the population. Such practice has also led to the condoning or
active encouragement of the removal of squatter and similar housing resulting in
a cycle of construction and demolition with the poor moving further away from the
employment centers of cities.
One effective way to bring housing within reach of substantially
increased numbers of poor people within a relatively short period is to bring the
cost of housing down. This can be achieved mainly by reducing standards in
materials and finish, providing communal facilities, adopting higher density
construction, using less land, and allowing less living space. Self-help efforts
by participants in sites and services projects also help to cut down construct ion
costs.
During the visit in GLC, a very good opportunity was available to
enable the visiting councillors to gain a better insight to GLC policy in housing
and their achievements and their failures. There the political scene affects
greatly, either for better or for worse, the decisions on housing. For instance,
selling public housing was favoured and planned by a political party, and such
plans were reversed immediately on gaining of power by another. The latter
however may revert to it on different grounds but along the same pattern.
According to the management structure of the Greater London
Council, the Housing Department co-ordinates with the Housing Programme Board
which consists of officers. This Housing Programme Board is under four committees
consisting wholly of members of the Council, namely, Housing Development
Committee, Housing Management Committee, Town Development Committee and
22