WWII left Britain exhausted after years of fighting, £21 billion in debt and in desperate need of rebuilding - however there was a severe shortage of workers and housing
Government policy which limited what people could buy to ensure there was enough for everyone, for another 9 years after WWII, everything was rationed, from electricity to bread
There were no anti-discrimination laws yet, so black people often did low skilled jobs they were overqualified for and faced lower wages than white people for the same job, colour bars and little support from trade unions
Racism and policing in Notting Hill: the police were openly racist, there were no laws against racial harassment, and the police had no interest in understanding the black community