Guy Shrubsole is the author of Who Owns England? a forthcoming book that reports out a paintstaking researched data-set laying out, for the first time, a comprehensive view of the land ownership in England, finding that half of the country is owned by 1% of its people: a mere 25,000 aristocrats, oligarchs and corporations.
Shrubsole’s research breaks down land ownership, singling out the likes of Brexiteer James Dyson (who lobbied in favour of Brexit, then relocated his company to Singapore when it became apparent that the UK would be plunged into chaos by it).
Shrubsole is also at pains to point out that he may be underestimating the extent to which land ownership is concentrated into a few hands in England, because 17% of England and Wales is undeclared at the Land Registry, and much of the property that is in the registry is nominally owned by anonymous, secrecy-shrouded companies that are often fronts for English and global elites.
Guy Shrubsole, author of the book in which the figures are revealed, Who Owns England?, argues that the findings show a picture that has not changed for centuries. “Most people remain unaware of quite how much land is owned by so few,” he writes, adding: “A few thousand dukes, baronets and country squires own far more land than all of middle England put together.”“Land ownership in England is astonishingly unequal, heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite.”
The book’s findings are drawn from a combination of public maps, data released through the Freedom of Information Act and other sources.
Who Owns England? [Data and analysis/Guy Shrubsole]
Who Owns England? [Guy Shrubsole/William Collins]
Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population
[Robe Evans/The Guardian]
(Image: Richard Law, CC-BY-SA)