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The second method is to apply for standard grants, which
were introduced by the House Purchase & Housing Act, 1959, which
came into operation on 14th June, 1959. The Act sets up a new
system of standard grants to supplement the present system of
improvement grants paid at the discretion of the local authority.
The distinctive features of the new system are that these grants are
payable only in respect of the provision of specified standard
amenities and on the expenditure actually incurred for this purpose;
and that provided certain conditions are satisfied the owner of the
property can claim the grant as of right. The new system has been
designed to produce as simple a procedure as possible and enable
owners generally to form a reasonably accurate idea of the assistance
they can hope to receive before any expense is incurred. It is
designed to deal in the main with relatively straightforward cases
in which the improvements involve little or no structural alteration,
leaving the present system of discretionary grants to deal with the
more elaborate proposals.
There are five standard amenities (listed in Section 4(l)
as shown below) eligible for standard grant, which is one half of
the cost shown to have been incurred in executing the works involved,
subject to a maximum payment of £155.
The maximum payment is reduced by the amount shown in
parentheses in cases where the particular provision is omitted, as
having been already provided:-
(a) A fixed bath or shower in a bathroom (£25)
(b) A wash-hand basin (£5)
(c) A hot water supply (£75)
(d) A water closet in or contiguous to the
dwelling (£40)
(e) Satisfactory facilities for storing food (£10)
These amenities must be for the exclusive use of the
occupants of the particular dwelling. The dwelling must after
improvement be equipped with all five standard amenities; conversely,
grant is not payable towards the cost of providing a second watercloset
or other amenity if there is already one in the house. If
a hot water supply is provided it must be connected to a sink as well
as to the bath or shower and wash-hand basin (Section 4(5)).
The works which may qualify for grant are such works for
the improvement of a dwelling as are required to provide it with
such of the standard amenities as it lacks and "improvement" bears
the meaning given to it by Section 42(2) of the Housing (Financial
Provisions) Act, 1958. Thus to the direct cost of installing,
say, a bath or wash-hand basin there may be added the cost of any
necessary structural alterations and consequent redecoration; while
in some cases it may be impracticable to do the work without
removing and replacing elsewhere an existing facility such as a
sink or foodstore. The test to be applied in considering whether
expenditure on any particular work is eligible for grant is whether
it would in all the circumstances have been reasonably practicable
to equip the dwelling with the amenities it lacked without carrying
out that work.
No application for a standard grant can be entertained
if the dwelling concerned was provided after the end of 1944, with
one exception. If the dwelling was produced by conversion and the
original building was erected before the end of 1944, then provided
the conversion was completed not later than the end of 1958, the
dwelling will be eligible for standard grant purposes (Section 4(6)).