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THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON
Public Health Department,
Hornton Street,
KENSINGTON, W. 8.
30th June, 1951.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Royal Borough of Kensington.
My Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in presenting the Annual Report
on the state of the public health in Kensington in 1950.
In accordance with the request of the Minister of Health,
the report is in the same abbreviated form as has been
the case for the past eleven years.
Since commencing duty as Medical Officer of Health for
the Royal Borough of Kensington on 27th February, 1950, I
have reviewed the local health services, especially those
for which the Council are responsible. It would appear
that the residents of Kensington are enjoying as full a
health service as the legal and economic factors permit
the Council to provide at the present time. It must not
be assumed that this means that there is no room for
extension or improvement. There is a great deal which
could be done to improve environmental health conditions
in the borough, and efforts are constantly being made in
this direction.
For example, the housing situation is deteriorating
month by month, not only in Kensington, but possibly in
all areas and districts containing property built in the
nineteenth century and let to tenants at "controlled"
rents. It is accepted on all sides that in many cases,
owners are not able economically to carry out adequate
repairs to such houses to maintain proper standards of
fitness, owing to the high building costs compared with
relatively low rents.
The problem of maintaining existing dwelling houses
in a reasonable state of habitation is probably the most
urgent confronting the Council at the present time.
Representatives of the Public Health and the Housing and
Town Planning Committees have recently conferred together,
and it has been decided to obtain the advice of the
Ministry of Local Government and Planning in this matter.
It would appear that some amendment in the housing legislation
is needed, to afford the Council wider powers than
they can at present operate.
Notwithstanding the difficulties, the Council have
continued to operate, in every possible case, their existing
powers to secure repairs to houses under the Housing Acts,
1936/1949, and the Public Health (London) Act, 1936. In
this connection, the Council have, on several occasions,
had under review their procedure for securing rehabilitation
of house property under Section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936.