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HOUSING.
New Dwellings.
The progress of the Council's Housing Schemes continued
satisfactorily. One hundred and ninety-one new dwellings were
completed during the year and at 31st December 658 were under
construction. The total number of tenancies under the control
of the Council at the end of the year was 7,242 which included
1,386 permanent dwellings and 519 prefabricated bungalows.
There were 6,474 housing applications still outstanding.
Requisitioned Properties.
In the early part of the year the Council gave consideration
to the question of the services of the Medical Officer of Health
and Sanitary Inspectors being made available to the licensees of
requisitioned property and tenants of the Council's permanent
houses. The Town Clerk and Medical Officer of Health submitted
reports on this matter to the appropriate Committees and
the Council subsequently passed the following resolution: —
"That the services of the Council's Sanitary Inspectors
for the purpose of inspection and report be made available
to licensees of requisitioned premises and tenants of permanent
housing in those cases where complaints addressed
to the Housing Office are not attended to or where there is
delay in the execution of the work, and where it appears
that there is a likelihood of a public health nuisance
arising."
Reports submitted to the Housing Office following the
inspection by the Sanitary Inspectors of properties under the
control of the Council numbered 208 during the year.
A number of requisitioned houses are of a very poor type;
worn out and requiring constant attention —houses that cannot
be made in all respects reasonably fit for human habitation at an
economic expenditure. The difficulty in maintaining the older
type of house property in the Borough, whether requisitioned or
not, is well known and the rising cost of repair and maintenance
causes the position to become more difficult every year. It is
the Council's practice therefore, to rehouse the licensees and derequisition
properties of this type where possible.
In every case where it is proposed to release a property
from requisition owing to its bad condition, the Housing Office
notify the Public Health Department in order that the premises
may be inspected to see whether action should be taken under
the Housing Acts to secure their demolition. Forty-three such
premises were referred to the Public Health Department during
the year.