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Overcrowding.
Following the 1914-1918 war, overcrowding rapidly
became a major problem. Kensington attracted a large number
of families, probably becaused it was near the places of work
of a large number of people engaged in Central London, and
industry was moving south from the north of England.
After a few years, the families became, as it were,
Kensington residents and the Council were left with a considerable
legacy of overcrowding. The Council found difficulty in
dealing with the matter, because there was inadequate alternative
accommodation available. The question received earnest
attention for many years and it was only shortly before the
recent war commenced that the Council appeared to be getting the
problem well in hand.
Routine inspections to detect overcrowding were
abandoned during the war for the following reasons:-
(a) Many basement rooms were, on occasions, grossly
overcrowded because families used them as air
raid shelters at night time, and no Court would
convict against the defence that the people were
avoiding the danger of bombs.
(b) The evacuation of London reduced the population
enormously and there was ample accommodation for
all who remained.
(c) The repair of war damaged houses was a much
greater question and the depleted staff devoted
its time to this, rather than to overcrowding
problems.
In April, 1945, when tie war in Europe seemed near
its termination, it appeared that there would shortly be a great
influx of people to Kensington; and, with the large number of
houses damaged and uninhabitable, the" overcrowding might present
the Council with a greater problem than they faced after the
1914-1918 war. A special sub-oommittee of the Public Health
Committee was established for the purpose of considering the
action to be taken in all cases of overcrowding reported.
Owing to the shortage of suitable alternative accommodation,
it was difficult to make much progress in the remaining months
of the year.
Cases reported to the sub-committee
during 1945 31
Cases in which the sub-committee
recommended that alternative
accommodation should be offered
by the Council 19
Cases in which proceedings were ordered
to be taken without prior offer of
alternative accommodation 5
Cases where action was postponed 7
Cases in which overcrowding was
abated during the year 4
(Note. In some of the above cases, remedies
were effected in the early part of 1946 and
will be reported subsequently.)