Paul Smith
@housingpaul.bsky.social
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“Housing expert and social historian”
reposted by
Paul Smith
Andrew Kelly
10 days ago
Latest newsletter is a second look back at our Homes for Heroes 2019 project on the past, present and future of council housing. Includes pieces by
@housingpaul.bsky.social
, Joan Smith and John Savage. Lots of lessons here for new housing and new towns.
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Festival of Ideas Archive 5: Council Estate Memories (2)
Andrew Kelly
https://festivalofideas.substack.com/p/festival-of-ideas-archive-5-council?r=5qg9tk
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Chartered Institute of Housing
12 days ago
There's only one week to go til Housing Brighton 2026 ⏰️ 🎟️ Book your free-to-member place today ➡️
buff.ly/vWVAhqI
Not a CIH member yet? A limited number of tickets are available for non-members. Check out prices here ➡️
buff.ly/hia3vib
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reposted by
Paul Smith
CIHCymru
13 days ago
Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards flies on to the stage to close out
#CIHTAI26
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Tristan Cork
21 days ago
The rope that pulled down the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol in 2020 has gone on public display for the first time ever - in....... Brussels. The full story is here:
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...
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Rope used to topple Colston on display for the first time - in Belgium
It's part of exhibition in the official museum of European history
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/rope-used-topple-colston-display-10922604
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reposted by
Paul Smith
brisradhis.bsky.social
about 1 month ago
BRHG book review: “Beyond the Darkness: Crimes from Another Era”, translated by Mike Jempson. Memoir of French resistance fighter & Armenian communist Mihran Mavian's confrontation with Nazi terror. Reviewer Sean Hosney warns the spectre of fascism looms closer again.
www.brh.org.uk/site/book-re...
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Jess McCabe
about 1 month ago
During the interview he was extremely ranty. In a podcast earlier in the year, he went off on one about Sadiq Khan, calling him a “pest” (no actual specific criticism just ranting about him) However, it’s also not his first brush with saying the wrong thing and getting in the nationals >>
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Paul Smith
brisradhis.bsky.social
about 2 months ago
Lecture & book signing: Dr Brenda Despontin will retell the remarkable story of John Frost, Chartist leader in ‘Some Hidden Thunder' at 10.30am, Sat 21 March, Holy Trinity Church, Horfield (where Frost is buried).
www.horfieldparishchurch.org.uk/announcement...
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Is
@ngoodrichhsg.bsky.social
modelling for comedy Joe?
2 months ago
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Using published, unpublished, local and national sources the first draft of my book, Slums For Heroes is finished. It covers the inter war slum clearances, the mass building of council housing.
2 months ago
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Another day in London. This time with Homes England contributing to a podcast promoting supported, specialist supported (and Gypsy, Roma, Traveller) housing as part of the new affordable homes programme. The sections which survive the edit will be broadcast in about a month’s time.
3 months ago
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The trends of and reasons for housing association mergers
cratus.co.uk/why-do-housi...
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Why do Housing Associations merge? - Cratus Group
Me, several other geeks, and a large number of finance people are excited that the Regulator of Social Housing has published its global accounts. The big
https://cratus.co.uk/why-do-housing-associations-merge/
4 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
brisradhis.bsky.social
4 months ago
www.brh.org.uk/.../bristol-...
SATURDAY 25 APRIL @ M SHED SUNDAY 26 APRIL @ THE CUBE MICROPLEX 8th annual Bristol Radical History Festival: talks, stalls, films, history walks & exhibitions. This year’s event's 4 main themes: Propaganda, Utopias & Dystopias, Welsh history & the 1926 General Strike.
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I’m 50,000 words into my book on inter-war housing policy and the mass building of council housing with a focus on the Knowle West estate in South Bristol. Scarily totting up sources so far, over 30 books, 650 newspaper articles and 150 council documents.
4 months ago
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Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
6 months ago
My second book, A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates, is a full colour hardback so not cheap but it's currently discounted and obviously worth every penny. It would make a wonderful Christmas present for someone special in your life. 😊
www.ribabooks.com/a-history-of...
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A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates
Buy A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates by Boughton, John from the RIBA online Bookshop. ISBN 9781914124631
https://www.ribabooks.com/a-history-of-council-housing-in-100-estates_9781914124631
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Andrew Kelly
6 months ago
Coming up 22 November: I’m introducing
@swsilents.bsky.social
events on The Battle of the Somme and Paths of Glory. Here’s my latest piece on the anti-war cinema of the First World War. Details of events are in the article. Sign up for more essays there, too.
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Festival of Ideas 2: Anti-War Cinema and the First World War
Andrew Kelly
https://festivalofideas.substack.com/p/festival-of-ideas-2-anti-war-cinema?r=5qg9tk
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
6 months ago
Born on this day, 1897, Nye Bevan, Minister of Health and Housing when Labour built 805,000 council homes between 1945-51. He believed high-quality council housing should reflect 'the living tapestry of a mixed community'.
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Some background reading as my new book includes a section on the council estate pub ban (1922-1933) first over turned in Knowle West
6 months ago
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Some background reading as my new book includes a section on the council estate pub ban (1922-1933) first over turned in Knowle West
6 months ago
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Will abolishing private landlords solve the housing crisis
cratus.co.uk/abolish-priv...
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“Abolish private landlords” - says the Greens
It seems that the big winner of the party conference season was housing. Among the big stories were Kemi Badenoch’s announcement that the Conservatives will remove stamp duty of primary residences…
https://cratus.co.uk/abolish-private-landlords-says-the-greens/
7 months ago
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Enjoying this story of the short lived Labour government of 1924. In particular the chapter on John Wheatley and his Housing Act
7 months ago
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A couple of books to add to my collection
8 months ago
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I’ve just read Dr Christopher Addisons resignation from the Government speech - absolutely brutal and incisive July 1921
8 months ago
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Labours housing achievements - my view of the first year
cratus.co.uk/assured-tena...
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Assured Tenancy
Not even the most enthusiastic Labour supporter could look back on the first year of Labour in government and declare it a dramatic success filled with relentless progress and public acclamation.
https://cratus.co.uk/assured-tenancy/
9 months ago
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Still waiting for homes for Heroes
10 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
10 months ago
This week's Substack post looks at Bath's earliest council housing built before the First World War and its last, a controversial inner-city scheme. Contrary to its genteel image, Bath had an exceptional council housing record.
municipaldreams.substack.com/p/the-first-...
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Brent Toderian
10 months ago
In other obvious news, “A recent study shows that encampment bans & other policies that criminalize homelessness don’t keep people from living on the street. The analysis did not find any reduction in homelessness in any cities studied as a result of such ordinances.” Homes and supports. Obviously.
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A New Study Proves Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Reduce Homelessness
"The deterrence logic doesn’t hold": A recent analysis finds that encampments bans and other local ordinances aimed at unhoused populations don't actually lead to decreased homelessness.
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/a-new-study-proves-criminalizing-homelessness-doesnt-reduce-homelessness
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More historical research, these documents are the council inspection report of my grandparents house in 1935. Not long after they were moved to a new council estate and the properties were demolished.
11 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Chartered Institute of Housing
11 months ago
The CIH Awarding Organisation is launching new top-up units to help housing professionals prepare for the Competence and Conduct Standard. Find out all the detail on our website ➡️
buff.ly/UglekY3
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Twisted
11 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Chartered Institute of Housing
11 months ago
✨ Voting for our 2025 vice president election is open. This year, your candidates are: Evie Copland CIHCM Katrina Henshaw Hony Premlal MBA CIHCM MIoL 🔥🌟👑 MBA CIHCM Paul Smith Thomas Sutton (CIHCM) Further info can be found here ⤵️
www.linkedin.com/posts/charte...
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✨ Members, we have some exciting news! | Chartered Institute of Housing
✨ Members, we have some exciting news! ✨ On Monday we opened voting for our 2025 vice president election. This year, your candidates are: Evie Copland CIHCM Katrina Henshaw Hony Premlal MBA CIHC...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chartered-institute-of-housing_members-we-have-some-exciting-news-activity-7338931857109012481-MdmZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAEBX1-oBvIazdDzzq32mutyBcxXeV-MsCEI
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
11 months ago
I'm very sad to learn of the recent death of Nick Hedges (b 1943) - a superb documentary photographer of housing and much else and a generous man. His photographs for Shelter of appalling housing conditions in the UK in the late 60s and 70s did much to persuade public opinion of the need for change.
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Phew
11 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
The Housing Forum
12 months ago
Government has proposed a range of measures to help SME housebuilders. This will be warmly welcomed across the sector, including social landlords and councils who want to get building again.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
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Government backs SME builders to get Britain building
Smaller housebuilders to benefit simpler rules with new reforms across land, regulation and finance.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-sme-builders-to-get-britain-building
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Why housing needs to engage with Reform (like it or not)
cratus.co.uk/making-plans...
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Making Plans for Nigel
Recently I was at meeting discussing speakers for a national housing event. Something which struck a number of us on the call was that proposed list was almost exclusively Labour figures from national...
https://cratus.co.uk/making-plans-for-nigel/
12 months ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
about 1 year ago
🚨 New on Substack: The Lillington Gardens Estate, Westminster: ‘civilizing, elegant and exciting’
open.substack.com/pub/municipa...
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Chartered Institute of Housing
about 1 year ago
🏘️ In April, as we continued the search for our next vice president, we got together with our past presidents, current president, and vice president to reflect on the role, and what it means. ⏰ Time is running out to get your nomination as applications close at 5pm tomorrow➡️
buff.ly/t7uVZgD
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My latest addition to my little Library. I used to Love the HMSO bookshop on Wine Street. It was full of treasures, wiped out by the internet.
about 1 year ago
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It goes without saying
about 1 year ago
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61 years of being adopted - I’ve not changed much but I do wear more clothes
about 1 year ago
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Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
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Working through this book by Dr Addison for my work on slum clearance and the building of knowle west. I am also chatting my own families move from the slums to the estate
about 1 year ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Astronomy 🔭
about 1 year ago
“A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” ~ Carl Sagan
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Municipal Dreams
about 1 year ago
🚨 New on Substack: Bristol’s Interwar Council Housing: John Betjeman described 'a surprising beauty showing off in the evening sunlight; and vistas of trees and fields and pleasant cottages' in the Sea Mills estate.
municipaldreams.substack.com/p/bristols-i...
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Long live libraries
about 1 year ago
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What did the Prince of Wales see when he visited Knowle West in 1934, how long was it and what did it weigh?
about 1 year ago
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Gerraint
about 1 year ago
Spare a thought for these heroes Early photographs of the English Heritage team in Stonehenge repositioning the stones at the start of British Summertime ⏰ And one of them putting the clocks forward an hour tomorrow morning
#BritishSummerTime
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reposted by
Paul Smith
Tristan Cork
about 1 year ago
South Bristol's own Paul Holbrook smashing it again. Read the full story here:
www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...
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South Bristol filmmaker scoops top Best Director award
And the film itself won a prestigious Golden Bee
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/south-bristol-filmmaker-scoops-top-10061257
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Near the toilets in the British Library
about 1 year ago
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Heading to that London for my first in person
@cihhousing.bsky.social
board meeting - fully decaffed up
about 1 year ago
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Interesting talk tonight from Peter Malpass on who ran the council in the 1900s - the short answer is the Tories although it’s more complicated than that
about 1 year ago
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