Residualisation of the social rented sector: some new evidence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present new evidence on the reasons for and consequences of residualisation of the social rented sector in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a new analysis of data from the 2001 Census at a small spatial scale (lower level super output areas) to produce estimates of the proportion of social housing in each area. The second piece of evidence is an analysis of who enters and leaves the social sector in England, drawing on survey data and an exit survey of tenants leaving social housing which asked their reasons for moving. The survey included people not normally captured by the main household surveys because they do not remain a reference person. Findings – The analysis shows that very few places are still dominated by social renting. It suggests that in so far as the sector is becoming more residualised, this is caused by the differing profiles of those moving into and out of social housing. Research limitations/implications – While the small numbers in the exit survey mean that it is not statistically significant, it nevertheless suggests that leaving the social sector is largely a result of positive choices, whereas entering social housing is much more the result of constrained choices. Social implications – The paper concludes that it is poverty rather than tenure residualisation that needs to be addressed. Originality/value – This paper presents two new pieces of evidence that together contribute to the residualisation debate in the UK and more widely in countries with a shrinking or small social rented sector.