London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bethnal Green 1909
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1909 together with the report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector
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63
NOTES ON THE
HOUSING AND TOWN PLANNING ACT, 1909,
by Edgar Taunton, M.B., D.P.H., Barrister-at-Law,
Deputy Medical Officer of Health.
Although this Act will not effect all that Sanitary Scientists
could have desired, it contains provisions that may be useful.
Since confirmation of a reconstruction scheme and authority to
purchase land compulsorily under section 24 will be effected by
order of the Local Government Board without confirmation by
Parliament, expedition may fairly be expected. An administrative
department having technical experience in housing reform presumably
representing the interests of public health, with knowledge of
sanitary requirements, may prove more rapid and certain than a
heterogeneous Parliament of prolix deliberations and representative
of various interests. The termination of the application to the
Courts of Summary Jurisdiction for Closing and Demolition Orders,
which will follow upon sections 17 and 18, and the making of such
Orders by the Local Authority will expedite procedure considerably.
The right of the aggrieved owner to appeal is a necessity, and as
the appeal is to be to the Local Government Board, it is presumable
that there will be considerably less prospect of success upon technicalities
than there would be before a Court of Summary Jurisdiction.
It is probable that public health will be the factor that will
have the greatest weight with the Board. If this prove to be so, it
may follow that appeals may not be lodged in a great percentage of
cases, as soon as the attitude of the Board shall have been demonstrated.
PART I.
Section 1 puts in force throughout the whole country part 3 of
the Housing Act of 1890, enabling local authorities to provide
houses for the working classes.
Section 2 and Schedule I by empowering the local authority,
with the confirmation of the Local Government Board to purchase
land compulsorily, may lead to the execution of many schemes
which would not have been carried into effect it a Provisional Order
with confirmation by Parliament were still necessary.