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35
Regulation 14 requires the manager to display in a suitable position
in the house a notice containing his name and address and that of any other
manager with an indication of his interest (i.e., agent or trustee), a copy of
the Management Order, a copy of the Regulations and, if the local authority
require, a notice which the authority may provide for indicating briefly the
main provisions of the Regulations.
The Regulations do not stand in isolation, and they must be taken
together with existing powers under the Housing Act, 1957, and the powers
contained in the 1961 Act relating to the provision of additional services and
facilities and the prevention or reduction of overcrowding. It is likely that
there will be houses where Orders applying a code of management, prescribed in
the Regulations, will be all that are necessary to bring about an improvement
in conditions. In others, the reason for the unsatisfactory state of affairs
will be not so much bad management as lack of essential facilities. To put
this right, a local authority can require the necessary work to be done and,
where need be, link the notice of works with a direction limiting the number
of occupants in a house. In the very worst type of houses conditions may be
so bad that, to effect any real improvements it will be necessary to take
action at one and the same time to secure better managements additional
facilities, and a limitation on the number of occupants.
The premises affected vary considerably, and render impracticable
the provision of a single rigid code of requirements applicable to all cases.
The Council have adopted certain minimum requirements as standards of essential
services and amenities. These were given in detail in my reports for 1962 and
have been recommended for adoption throughout London by the Metropolitan
Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee.
Plan of Action
In January, 1963, the Medical Officer of Health reported to the
Public Health Committee on the improvement of houses and, inter alia referred
to areas of properties which are up to 100 years old where the property is
either unsuitable or not worth converting. These areas are shown on a map
coloured pink and include a total of 1,436 properties.
The best long-term solution for these properties is demolition and
redevelopment, but the existing slum clearance commitments of the Council will
prevent them from undertaking this for many years, The properties consist
predominantly of houses in multiple occupation.
The joint meeting of the Public Health Committee and Housing and Town
Planning Committee recommended that, as a short-term policy, the provisions of
Part II of the Housing Act, 1961, relating to houses in multiple occupation
should be applied to these areas as soon as possible, and that additional
staff should be engaged and additional office accommodation provided. The aim
was to deal with the 1,436 houses within three years, and to do this it was
decided to engage four additional technical assistants working under the
direction of two qualified public health inspectors. In view of the
substantial increase in administrative and clerical work it was decided to
engage one senior clerk and two shorthand typists.
The accommodation at the Public Health Department was already
strained to the limit and, in order to house this new housing section, it was
decided to convert the coach house and stable at the rear of the Red House,
Hornton Street, for the accommodation of the additional staff. The work on
this office conversion was completed in October, 1963.
Difficulty was encountered in securing qualified staff as technical
assistants. In view of the nation-wide shortage of public health inspectors,
and the even greater shortage in the London area, it was decided to attempt
to recruit assistants with sufficient experience to undertake routine
inspections, but, despite several advertisements, the type of applicant was