Housing

Council House building has cost more than 10 times the amount that owner occupier houses cost p25-7

Econmic Affairs Feb 93

Management of council housing costs Ł2 billion and employs 30,000 council employees

Housing - in the 60's the state built a lot of council houses and a wonderful job they made of it, I don't think. This is what happens when the state gets involved in the housing market:

First, private builders stop building low-cost housing, they can't compete. Councils can subsidise from the taxpayer's pocket, private builders can't offer such good terms, those who do go bankrupt.
Second, the council inevitably runs out of money.
Third, there is a major housing shortage and dissatisfaction over the quality of houses and maintenance service.
Fourth, there are no other houses available since private builders are no longer interested or equipped to build low-cost housing.
Fifth, there is a large homeless problem.

If, on the other hand, the civil government had kept out then private builders would have built houses and those who produced the best for the cheapest price would prosper because people would buy (or rent) their houses. There would be no housing shortage, no maintenance problems and quality would be the best that the nation could sustain at that time for that price.