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31
Housing- and Town Planning Act, 1909.
This Act imposes upon sanitary authorities duties of a most
important character in connection with the sanitation of house
property. Under sec. 17 (1) the duty devolves upon the sanitary
authority "to cause to be made from time to time inspection of
their district with a view to ascertain whether any dwelling-house
therein is in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be
unfit for human habitation and for that purpose it shall be the
duty of the local authority and of every Officer of the local authority
to comply with such regulations and to keep such records as may
be prescribed by the Local Government Board."
The Board made an Order dated 2nd September, 1910, prescribing
regulations under section 17 (1) of the Act, but the Council
deferred action in connection with the Act until 1911.
In April, 1911, the Council considered these Regulations and
the Medical Officer of Health was instructed on the 10th May, 1911,
to submit a report as to the arrangements to be made to comply
with the requirements of the Order of the Local Government
Board—(vide appendix).
The suggestions contained in the report of the Medical Officer
of Health were adopted.
In October the Medical Officer of Health represented
certain houses in Little Europa Place as being unfit for human
habitation. The Health Committee inspected the houses in question
on the 28th October. As notices under the Public Health (Lond.)
Act, 1891 had been served on the owner, it was decided on the
advice of the Borough Solicitor to postpone action under the
Housing, Town Planning &c., Act, until the notices under the
Public Health Acts were " out of time."
The Housing, Town Planning &c., Act gives important powers
to sanitary authorities in relation to underground rooms. The
Act provides that an underground room that is habitually used as a
sleeping place must be at least 7ft. in height from floor to ceiling
and must comply with such regulations as the sanitary authorities
with the consent of the Local Government Board may make. The
Public Health Act contained provisions specified in detail in the
Act, for preventing the use as sleeping places of underground
rooms separately occupied as dwellings, but these provisions were
rendered practically useless by the fact that they do not apply if
the rooms are at the same time occupied with a room or rooms on
an upper floor.
The Council have made the following regulations which have
been duly approved by the Local Government Board and are now
in operation in the Borough.