Back to the Future? The Tory Party, Paternalism, and Housing Policy in Nottingham 1919-1932.

Nottingham's Conservative-led inter-war municipal housing policy is widely acknowledged to have been progressive and a model of its kind. This is at odds with traditional views of Tory housing policy between the wars. This paper examines the development of the city's inter-war housing strategy and identifies key stages and trends. Events in Nottingham are explored through an examination of conflicts and tensions within the city council, and by considering the effect of party politics on municipal housing policy. This research quantifies the city's achievements and finds explanation in a combination of consensus politics, Tory paternalism, and private enterprise failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]