New research has delved into the complex knock-on effects of two separate housing crises across Britain, analysing the emotions felt by residents and how this formed collective action. Although the negative impacts of safety issues with the home may seem obvious, these impacts are nuanced and cause numerous ripple effects, both emotionally and financially, aside from the physical danger they cause.

Although a number of factors are at play, these crises have their roots in construction, and are a reminder why upholding safety standards and key practices are vital in ensuring lasting building safety.

Collective Crises

Both of the examples analysed in the latest research from the UK centre for collaborative housing evidence (The Centre) are collective housing safety crises that have affected a wide group of people, causing collective emotion and calls for change. Although the idea of emotive reactions from safety issues in the home is what some people would consider obvious, in these examples, the outrage and upset caused by the effects of these crises formed a kind of social currency, which participants used to band together and facilitate further engagement and change from the government. The research looks at the following housing safety crises:

Building Safety Crisis in England:

A look at the faults and safety issues that have been discovered in the English housing stock, specifically high-rise flats and similar accommodation. Highlighted in the tragic events of the Grenfell disaster, numerous safety concerns about these types of high-rise buildings have come to prominence since the events of the fire, including flammable insulation and cladding, missing fire safety elements and poor construction practices. Although the events of Grenfell posed as a grim reminder of the consequences fire safety negligence, and the government made commitments to making significant improvements in the safety of these kind of buildings, the remedial tasks at hand are large and a mammoth task to undertake, which left many residents dissatisfied with the resulting work.

The resulting consequences for not only those affected by Grenfell, but also those who learnt they were living in buildings of similar condition, are impossible to quantify. Beyond even the incident itself, people all over the country were displaced from their homes in order to commence remedial works on these high-rise buildings. Other residents were heavily affected by anxiety and depression, concerned of the liability of any work that may have to take place, including a myriad of knock-on financial factors that occurred as a ripple effect of the faults exposed.

Government Response

Whilst Grenfell was a harrowing reminder of the dangers of neglected fire safety, the size and complexity of the remedial tasks ahead has resulted in many residents dissatisfied with the perceived lack of urgency. Harry, age 25-34, is quoted as saying: “changes happen, but it’s so glacial and it’s so incremental that it’s hard to get too excited or confident about things” when policy announcements were made.

“they [the Government] kind of said a few warm words and they were kind of chucking a little bit of help here, a little bit of help there…It was like cladding only, and only over 18 metres…It was like blood out of a stone” (Ryan, age 35-44).

Residents also responded that the governments quick and large-scale action to tackle the covid crisis compounded their feelings of a lack of urgency. Residents were left with the feeling that even six years on, no one had taken a grip of the situation and made real effort such as was seen with the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaseholders also reported feeling left in a paradoxical state, where seemingly urgent issues that posed a threat to their safety were also prolonged conditions that could last years.

These and many other facts resulted in a collective feeling of cynicism and disillusionment with the government, residents affected feeling like at times language almost alluded to them being at fault. There was also feedback from residents that suggested debates around taxpayer costs for remedial works were divisive in nature, “the taxpayer versus leaseholder debate just wasn’t particularly helpful because…we are taxpayers, we’re not some kind of alien group that exists outside of taxpaying people” (Lindsey, age 25-34).

 

Defective Concrete Crisis in Ireland

The other safety crisis analysed in the research took place in Ireland, where widespread concrete defects have been dubbed “The Micra Crisis”, named after a mineral found in aggregate, however, recent research has pointed towards that the real culprit behind the degradation of the blocks being internal sulphate attack. The majority of the homes affected are single family homes, most of which were built between 1999 and 2008, although some instances of commercial buildings also suffering have been reported.

Issues due to these defects follow a similar pattern, beginning as more cosmetic issues and progressively worsening. The process often begins with minor cracks, but over time these cracks worsen and lead to structural and safety issues, as well as jeopardising the insulation of the home. Residents have reported struggling to heat their homes, as well as suffering serious issues with damp and mould in the affected homes. There is a rough estimate of 500-600 homes that have been affected, although there are also concerns that the issues may also extend into Northern Ireland. This issue had an additional factor standing in the way of tackling the crisis, that research first had to establish the direct cause of the deterioration in the blocks to ensure the same issues don’t arise again, before any remedial works could begin.

Similar to Grenfell, campaign groups have played a large role in raising awareness and pushing for better government support to address the issues. Financial distress has been the root cause of impact on those affected, and although the micra crisis may not erupt in such a catastrophic way as Grenfell, it is a slowly developing crisis that has left many residents with long term emotional stress and anxiety.

Government Response

In Ireland, there seemed to be a severe mismatch between resident experience and the perceived government reaction, feedback often pointing towards residents feeling like the government was not taking the issue seriously. Similar notions arose to do with stark difference between national action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to the perceived lazy response to the safety issues beginning to build. Irene (age 65+) explained that “nobody’s really bothered…and that makes me angry…that they can treat their own people like that…It’s a scandal. It’s a humanitarian crisis”.

There were also numerous residents who reported feeling as if the government were attempting to allow for campaign movements to die down, and being able to sidestep meaningful action. This was a sense of distrust that went beyond those felt by the residents of Grenfell, and the Helen, aged 55-64 voiced her concerns:

“It does feel a little bit like…we’re building a famine road…During famine times the British government got…the Irish people to build roads that went nowhere because it kept them busy and…it stopped them, you know, causing trouble…And I feel that’s a…very apt analogy that the Irish government is…leading us down these blind alleys…All the protesting and everything: let them have a march, won’t that keep them busy… let them plan…a sit-in, or let them plan…a town meeting…Won’t that keep them busy for another few weeks?…And the irony of it is that at least in the famine it was the British government…who were misleading the Irish people and now it’s the Irish government who are misleading their own people…It’s a bit tragic all round”

Collective Action

Although there are differences between each crises, residents caught in the middle expressed many of the same sentiments collectively. Feelings of financial anxiety, lack of stability and dissatisfaction with government policy in response are common themes amongst both groups, and in both cases residents banded together and gained solidarity in their shared experiences. Out of these crises, residents sought after unity with those who had been plunged into similar conditions, and this unity was turned into campaigns, protests and other means to call for action.

Across both crises, in-person meetings and protests, social media and other means were all utilised in order to turn these collective emotions into a kind of emotive currency, tweets, letters signatures on petitions and more all being used to convey the full weight of their outrage and instigate further support.