Poor doors, social housing and the politics of accomodation

I'm starting to face the fact that I may no longer be working class.
Between myself and my wife we own four and a half degrees, three cats, one (mostly unused) bread maker and one house. We've also just started employing a cleaner. Or as a friend of mine neatly put it, "ha, you now have staff".

When we lived in Milton Keynes we had a rented house on a key worker estate. It was fine. Everyone was either a teacher, policeman, nurse etc and it was a pleasant enough atmosphere. We didn't feel like second class anythings. Skip forward to us finally getting our own house in Leighton Buzzard on a new build...and the first thing the estate agent said to us was 'how far away do you want to be from the social housing tenants?' We were genuinely shocked.
Our supposed transformation from one social group into another was brought back to me this morning when I heard about these so-called 'poor doors' and the growing economic divisions in the UK. Housing has always been political. It's been used to keep rich and poor apart since Victorian times but there's growing evidence that it's happening on a larger scale.

So with all that in mind I'd like to suggest some resources to you; firstly, a radio show called the Moral maze covered the topic of social inclusion from a moral standpoint last night (Wednesday) at 8pm on Radio 4. Just follow this link to listen again if you don't see this post until after it's been broadcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054qfjx  .

Finally, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is constantly examining the links between housing, health and social standing. The full range of their published reports is available from here.

New report on poverty and social exclusion in the UK

Hello again.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has produced the latest in their series of excellent reports on poverty in the UK. Even compared to recent research in this area, it makes for grim reading. It states that the number of people trapped in low wage jobs are on the increase and 1 in 5 working age adults without children are living in poverty. The reasons for these conclusions are clearly complex, although JRF highlights low wages, higher rents and changes in the welfare system as key.

If you haven't heard me promote the JRF before it's a very good source of evidence-based research specialising in the links between poverty, housing and wages. They produce a vast range of reports which you can access by going here. It's all free and it's all fine to reference.

The latest report is available in full from here, or if you'd prefer the Guardian's summary on what was written then have a look here.

Cottage cheese, Israel and why my wife is fed up.

Hello.

Haven't blogged for a while due to a week spent largely on the allotment and then returning to work and encountering an email inbox that's threatening to eat me.

So. What have I missed? The university seems to be awfully busy considering it's August. I've got loads on and this is usually the time of year when I get to think about those jobs I've been putting off for ages-you know, the academic equivalent of ironing?

Anyway, this is the story that I heard today on Radio 4 and it is particularly relevant to my life right now. It might sound nuts that the price of cottage cheese can spark a housing crisis, but it probably pays to remember that a few crates of tea led to the American war of independence.

The availability of affordable housing is a growing issue in this country too. I live in key worker housing in MK (my wife is a teacher) and we found out this week that collectively we make just a few hundred pounds too much a year and aren't eligible for any of the government schemes to help first time buyers. It's very disappointing. If you're looking for research on how housing has an affect on many aspects of social well-being the best place to look is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A good example of such a report is this one from May, 2011.

I'm in work for the next two weeks before going on holiday again so if you need help with anything don't put it off. Before we know where we are it'll be the new term and then things will really be busy...