About the project
This research was led by Principal Investigator Christine Wall with Linda Clarke. It was awarded as part of the University Strategic Research Fund, £23,750, December 2017.
This project prepared the groundwork for a major exploration of the role of local authority builders in post-war social house building. It facilitated a program for the travelling exhibition, Constructing Post-war Britain: building workers stories 1950–70, at strategic sites where Direct Labour Organisations (DLOs) built housing. Building on existing partnerships with Bishopsgate Institute and The Scottish Oral History Centre the project continued to develop the innovative, interdisciplinary methods in previous projects.
This project was timely in coinciding with the re-emergence of social house building by both councils and housing associations, including in Glasgow, London, Manchester and Liverpool, providing historical insights to address the housing crisis and directly employ and train construction workers. The project concluded with a workshop of expert participants, Housebuilding and Labour, in July 2017.
Contact
For further information, email:
- Professor Emerita Christine Wall at [email protected]
- Professor Emerita Linda Clarke at [email protected]
Outputs
Symposium: Direct Labour past and present: the answer to the housing crisis, construction training and low energy building? 13 July 2017. Today we face a severe housing crisis, the lowest level of construction training ever seen and the need for a transformation of the construction industry to meet low energy targets and address climate change. Intended to assess the past history and significance of DLOs, to present inspiring contemporary examples, in particular from Glasgow and Yorkshire, and to discuss possibilities for the further development of direct labour, the seminar addressed the question ‘Does direct labour offer a solution?’ Participants included:
- The origins and development of DLOs, Linda Clarke, University of Westminster
- Tradeswomen in DLOs, Christine Wall, University of Westminster
- Experiences working in DLOs, Tony O-Brien, Construction Safety Campaign
- The significance of DLOs, Pete Farrell, London Hazards
- Leading examples: Wakefield District Housing and Glasgow City Building, Linda Clarke & Melahat Sahin-Dikmen, University of Westminster
- Training and direct labour needs with low energy construction, Tim Fenn, Green Factory
- DLOs and housing provision, Mike Jones, University of Cambridge
- Introduction: The housing crisis today, Cllr Diarmaid Ward, Chair of Housing, Islington council