Margaret Thatcher.

Like her or loathe her, there was one area where Margaret Hilda was an unqualified success.

She moved the UK towards becoming 'a home-owning democracy'.

Okay. I know that the sales of council houses were much too generous in their terms and it was a downside that these went largely unreplaced - but on balance, the social benefits of trying to 'give everybody a stake in society' contained giant positives.

It is with a heavy heart that I read how far backwards we have drifted from this high point with the information released this week that as many as a third of houses are now rented.
Not good news for the nation!