Homesick: How Housing Broke London and How to Fix It

(Hardback)

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Description

Property prices in London have increased sixteen-fold since Peter Apps was born. Once vibrant communities are being uprooted and businesses shuttered. Young people are abandoning London, heading for Brighton, Manchester, Sheffield taking the citys creative energy with them. Schools cant fill their classrooms as families are priced out of the capital. And social housing is a mess.


How on earth did we get here


Tracing the last forty years of the public and private housing market in London, Peter Apps entreats us to fight for what is ours: a city that might still provide permanence, safety and opportunities for ordinary people. A city that our children and grandchildren might be proud to live in. We must stop being wistful for what once was and figure out what could be.

Reviews

'Apps set the gold standard with his Grenfell coverage. With Homesick, he dismantles the sham of UK housing policy razor-sharp, stylish, and morally unflinching.' Darren McGarvey, author ofPoverty Safari

'A vital book which underscores the human cost of the housing crisis with a forensic analysis of how we got there. Peter Apps is one of the most important writers on housing today.' Anna Minton, author ofBig Capital

'Homesick relates the social, political and economic history of social housing in London since the 1980s. It is threaded through with narratives of real people and the changing picture of affordability and availability over the years. It is beautifully written, hugely knowledgeable and informative the history of government finance for housing and its drivers was a revelation. Every historian, housing provider and politician must read this book, hang their heads in shame, and work for fundamental and radical change.' Emma Dent Coad, former MP for Kensington and author ofOne Kensington

Author Bio

Peter Apps is an award-winning journalist and Deputy Editor at Inside Housing. His previous book, Show Me the Bodies, won the Orwell Prize for political writing and his coverage of the Grenfell public inquiry has received widespread acclaim. He lives in London.