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The Labour Reforms

The Labour Reforms. 1945-1951. Aims:. Examine the main reforms which tried to tackle ‘Want’. Assess the effectiveness of these reforms. The Labour Government 1945-1951. After coming to power in a landslide election victory, the new Labour Government led by Clement Atlee

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The Labour Reforms

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  1. The Labour Reforms 1945-1951

  2. Aims: • Examine the main reforms which tried to tackle ‘Want’. • Assess the effectiveness of these reforms.

  3. The Labour Government 1945-1951 After coming to power in a landslide election victory, the new Labour Government led by Clement Atlee introduced reforms in the following areas: • Social Security • Health • Housing • Education • Employment These reforms clearly established a welfare state in Britain.

  4. Dealing With Want - Social Security Four main reforms were implemented by the Labour Government: • Family Allowance Act, 1945 • National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946 • National Insurance Act 1946 • National Assistance Act 1948

  5. Family Allowance Act 1945 • Passed by the coalition government in 1945. • Started operating in 1946. • Available to 2-3 families with more than one child regardless of their status.

  6. Industrial Injuries Act 1946 • Compulsory for all workers. • Paid through contributions by workers and employers. • Applied to anyone injured at work – benefit for 6 months. • If the injury lasted beyond the person was entitled to a pension.

  7. National Insurance Act 1946 • Compulsory for all workers • Covered sickness and unemployment benefits, maternity benefits, widow and guardian benefits, old age and a death grant. • Ministry of National Insurance set up – 40,000 civil servants to run the system. • National Insurance would pay for itself as long as unemployment was less than 8.5%.

  8. National Assistance Act 1948 • Covered those who could not afford to make insurance contributions e.g. unemployed, those on low wages or handicapped. • The main claimant had to pass as ‘Needs Test’. • Payments were low – it could be weekly or a one-off grant. • This act also did away with the workhouse.

  9. Criticisms of Social Security • Benefit levels were fixed for 5 years but prices rose (inflation) and money was worth less. • Benefits were only 19% of the average wage and not enough to keep people above the poverty line. • However the population was covered from the ‘cradle to the grave’. If people were in need the government would be there to help. • Poverty was reduced but not eliminated.

  10. The Labour Reforms1945-1951 Housing

  11. Aims: • Examine the main reforms which tried to tackle ‘Squalor’. • Assess the effectiveness of these reforms.

  12. A Critical Situation • Major housing shortages at the end of the war – 700,000 had been destroyed. • In Scotland alone 469,000 new homes were needed • One-third of all houses were in need of repair and renovation. • There was a shortage of constructions workers and a shortage/high cost of building materials.

  13. ‘The generally accepted estimate of 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 houses is a broad indication of the probable housing need during the first 10-12 years of the peace’ Aneurin Bevan was in charge of the Ministry of Health which had responsibility for housing.

  14. Housing the Homeless • The first priority was to house the homeless. • The government continued with the war-time policy of putting up ‘pre-fabricated’ homes. • Prefabs were ready made factory built houses that would be put up quickly • 157,000 prefabs were built – they were used for much longer than was originally planned.

  15. Prefabs in Edinburgh which were built in the 1940s

  16. New Towns Act, 1946 • This act tried to solve the problem of overcrowding in cities by planning new communities. • 12 new towns including Glenrothes and East Kilbride in Scotland were planned. • These new towns were carefully planned out industrial areas would be built away from housing areas. • Communities would have schools, shops and leisure facilities.

  17. Glenrothes was designed to house 30,000 to 35,000 people East Kilbride 1949

  18. Town and Country Planning Act, 1947 • Local authorities could buy land for building low cost homes. • Local authorities received a 75% subsidy for building council houses. • By 1951 700,000 houses had been built but there was still a shortage of 750,000 homes. • Poor housing and homelessness were still serious problems.

  19. Prefabs provided temporary housing. 700,000 council houses built. 12 New Towns designed and built. A great deal was achieved despite shortages of workers/materials. Many prefabs were used much longer than planned. Government did not create a separate Ministry of Housing 750,000 homes still needed. Homelessness and poor housing continued Overall Assessment

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