Council house facts for kids

Council houses at Hackenthorpe in South Yorkshire.

Some developments have become run-down like these flats being demolished in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The council house is a form of public housing found in Ireland and the United Kingdom, sometimes called social housing in modern times. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to help the local population. As of 2005, approximately 20% of the country's housing is owned by local councils or by housing associations. The largest council estate in the country (and one of the largest in the world) is Becontree, Dagenham, with a population of over 100,000. Building started in the 1920s and took nearly 20 years to finish.

The Republic of Ireland has a similar public housing system, Local Authority Accommodation.

Images for kids

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  Semi-detached council house in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire

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  A mixture of council and ex-council housing (through Right to Buy scheme) in Hurlford, East Ayrshire, Scotland

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  Permanent dwellings completed in England by tenure type, showing the effect of the 1980 Housing Act in curtailing council house construction and reducing total new build numbers

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  Grade II listed Phoenix prefabs in Wake Green Road, Birmingham

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  1950s semi-detached PRC houses in Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorkshire

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  Park Hill in Sheffield, built in the 1950-60s and refurbished in the 2010s.

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  The Radburn layout. Maisonettes on Teak Avenue, on the St Ann's estate, Nottingham the facing houses are on Tulip Avenue. Nottingham. The upper houses are accessed from this walk way, while car access is limited to the crossing roads.