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RESOLUTION "K."—That a sum be provided during the next financial year either from
capital or revenue tor acquiring and reconstructing houses under Part
III. of the Housinng Act, 1890, in such cases as the Council may
approve.
At the Special Estimates Meeting of the Council in 1923, the sum of £5,000 was provided for
the purpose of acquiring and reconstructing houses in accordance with this Resolution, but at the
end of the year 1923 there had been no expenditure under this heading.
In the first three months of 1924, which are included in the financial year for which the
£5,000 was provided, the Council resolved to purchase, for the purposes indicated in this
Resolution, one house, eighteen flats with spare land adjoining, and two buildings partially
converted into six flats. All the property purchased is freehold, and the total cost is about £1,600.
The Council have negotiated for a number of other houses, but the reason that purchase
was not completed appears in the notes under Resolution ".M."
RESOLUTION " L:"—That a specific area be selected by the Public Health C ommittee as the
area to be dealt with comprehensively in the first instance, and that
every house in the selected area be dealt with as far as may be necessary
and practicable.
The specific area dealt with in the first instance was that part of the Golborne Ward north of
the Great Western railway line, and by the end of the year every house occupied by members of
more than one family in that district had been placed on the Council's Register of Houses Let in
Lodgings. At the present time there remain in that area not more than fifty houses unregistered,
these being occupied by one family in each. This area received the attention of the Inspector of
the district throughout the year, and the Temporary Inspector was engaged in it from May 1st to
December 31st. The number of Sanitary Notices served by these two Inspectors during 1923 was
as follows:—
Intimation Notices 731
Statutory Notices 172
Final Notices 43
Summonses 10
The following table shows, as far as can be set out in tabular form, the improvements resulting
from the issue of the notices.
Houses cleansed
272
House Drains re-constructed
6
Defective Drains repaired
13
House Drains cleansed
64
Water Closets constructed, repaired, &c.
165
„ „ supplied with water
10
„ „ new provided
2
Soil-pipes, ventilated, repaired, &c.
14
„ new provided
4
Cisterns cleaned, covered, &c.
47
Yards, areas paved, drained, repaired
140
Dustbins provided
160
Ashpits abolished
28
Accumulations of filth, &c., removed -
78
Animals removed
22
Overcrowding abated
16
Underground Rooms, illegal occupation discontinued
2
Roofs repaired
134
Houses provided with water above basement floor
48
Dampness in Dwellings remedied
99
Other sanitary improvements
453
The general sanitary condition of this particular district has shewn considerable improvement
and the effect of the activity of the Council's staff is apparent in many houses which have been
reclaimed from the almost uninhabitable condition into which they had drifted during the War
period. There remain in the district only three unoccupied houses. One of these was closed by
order of the Council during the year, and the other two, which have been derelict for some time,
have been recently purchased by the Council. Much has been accomplished in this poor area, but
it now becomes the task of the officers of the Council to maintain and improve the standard which
has been reached. This will involve a large amount of painstaking work.
RESOLUTION " M."—That the Council do co-operate, as far as possible, through the Medical
Officer of Health and otherwise, with the Improved Tenements Association,
or any similar public society whose objects include the improvement
of housing conditions.