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more than two persons to a room (excluding sculleries, cellars,
pantries, etc.).
2. The so-called "sex separation" standard, which regards a house
as overcrowded where separate bedroom accommodation for
persons of the opposite sex over the age of 10 years unless they
are living together as man and wife, is not available.
3. The "Manchester" standard adopted by the Medical Officer of
Health of that City as the official standard for Manchester,
which requires that not only should there be separate sleeping
accommodation, but that there should be not more than 2½
persons to each bedroom. A child under 10 years of age is
counted half an adult.
The Registrar General's standard, which is adopted in this Borough,
is regarded however, as being too modest in its requirements. Its
weakness lies in that it pays no attention to bedroom overcrowding as
such, and that it does not take into account the sex of occupiers. A
more reliable index therefore, would be the number of rooms to persons.
The two other standards would more accurately satisfy the present
day conceptions of health and decency.
Section 25 of the Housing Act, 1930, imposes on local authorities
the duties of reviewing the housing conditions in their areas and of
framing and submitting proposals for the provision of new houses for
the working classes, distinguishing those houses which the authority
purpose to provide for the accommodation of persons displaced by action
taken under this Act.
In the year 1930 and every fifth year, the Council of every borough
or other urban district with a population of more than 20,000 must
furnish to the Minister a general statement of the measures they propose
to take during the five next succeeding years for dealing with housing
conditions in their area, and the provision of further housing accommodation.
In accordance with this requirement, a recent survey of the Borough
has been undertaken.
Housing Situation To-day.
The Census of 1931, the complete returns of which are not yet published,
shows that the population of the Metropolitan Borough of
Battersea has decreased since the preceding census. It may reasonably
be supposed, therefore, that the housing requirements of the Borough
are very little greater than they were ten years ago. In so far as these
requirements are greater, this is due (a) probably to the increased number
of families of smaller size, and (b) to the degeneration of property which
was not in good condition in 1921.
The coming into force of the 1930 Housing Act in August of that
year marked another period in the activities of the Legislature in dealing
with the difficulties and complexities of the housing problem. The
principal objects of the new Act are to simplify procedure and facilitate
the clearing of existing slums by clearance areas, and to prevent the
creation of new slums by new methods dealing with improvement areas.
The Act is intended also to simplify the procedure for dealing with individual
houses which are outside these areas but require repair of demolition.
A new form of exchequer grant has been devised to provide increased
assistance to meet the difficulty of re-housing the poorest inhabitants
of slums at rents they can afford.
This new grant is available only for re-housing persons displaced
from clearance of improvement areas, or from unfit individual houses
which are to be demolished.