London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
- 17 -
Remedy of defects during the year without service of formal notices.
| Defective dwelling houses rendered fit in consequence of informal action by the local authority or their officers | 1,829 | |||
| Action under statutory cowers during the year. | ||||
| (a) | Proceedings under Sections 9, 10 and 16 of the Housing Act, 1936:- | |||
| (i) | Dwelling houses in respect of which notices were served requiring repairs | 74 | ||
| (ii) | Dwelling houses which were rendered fit after service of formal notices | 16 | ||
| (b) | Proceedings under Public Health Acts:- | |||
| (i) | Dwelling houses in respect of which notices were served requiring defects to be remedied | 731 | ||
| (ii) | Dwelling houses in which defects were remedied after service of formal notices:- | |||
| (a) | by owners | 731 | ||
| (b) | by local authority in default of owners | Nil | ||
| (c) | Proceedings under Sections 11 and 13 of the Housing Act, 1936:— | |||
| (i) | Dwelling houses in respect of which demolition order were made | Nil | ||
| (ii) | Dwelling houses demolished in pursuance of demolition orders | Nil | ||
| (d) | Proceedings under Section 12 of the Housing Act, 1936:- | |||
| (i) | Separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which closing orders were made | 253 | ||
| (ii) | Separate tenements or underground rooms in respect of which closing orders were determined, the tenements or rooms having been rendered fit | 25 | ||
Underground Rooms.
On 11th December, 1945, the Council decided to resume
work under Part II of the Housing Act, 1936. With regard to
closure of underground rooms under Section 12 of that Act, the
Council decided not to insist on the rigid enforcement of the
underground room regulations in all cases, especially where
technical infringements only existed and the rooms were reasonably
fit for human habitation, having regard to present day
standards. The Council made this decision in view of the housing
shortage, their main concern being to secure additional accommodation.
Rules of procedure were approved by the Council with the
object of holding a balance between the need to close seriously
unfit underground rooms and the need to preserve as much housing
accommodation as possible.