Estates are 'social concentration camps'

According to Sunday's Independent, a report to be published by the Fabian Society tomorrow (Friday) will claim that Britain's housing estates are 'social concentration camps', because people on such estates are more likely to be unemployed and die younger than their privately housed counterparts.  No doubt when the report is out it will provoke more headlines like the Independent's, blaming council housing for tenants' problems.

'Social segregation' in housing is increasing i.e. the better off more and more live in different areas to poorer people. But the Independent ignores the fact that segregation takes two - not only poor people ending up in social housing but, more importantly, better off people choosing to live as far as possible away from poorer people, using their money to buy nice houses in nice neighbourhoods.  Poor people don't have that choice, and live where they can get a home - in what is left of Wales's social housing stock, which is invariably on grotty damp peripheral estates that no-one wanted to buy.  

The root cause of the problems on social housing estates is not social housing (though it is far from perfect), but poverty and lack of opportunity.  If people on these estates had the same qualifications, incomes, health and opportunities as the people on a Barratt or Wimpey estate, the problems would all but vanish.  But then talking about poverty and inequality is much harder than blaming bricks and mortar.