London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bethnal Green 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green Borough]
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110
cases of dwellings becoming again overcrowded following
vacation by overcrowded families, except informally.
In all known cases of premises becoming
vacated, whether by overcrowded families or not,
the owner or other responsible person is informed of
the provisions of the Act, and advised as to the need
for care in the re-letting of such premises. Despite
these measures, 4 cases of premises having again
become occupied in overcrowded conditions following
vacation by an overcrowded family were discovered
in the course of enquiries regarding applications for
housing accommodation. I am afraid that this
unsatisfactory state of affairs will continue until the
appointed day is fixed for the Borough.
The following table gives some idea of the magnitude of dealing with the problem of overcrowding remaining in the Borough at the end of 1936:—
| Degree of overcrowding (expressed in X times the legal standard) | Rooms required | Total families | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||
| Over 3 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 15 | — | — | 42 |
| „ 2 | 94 | 210 | 254 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 623 |
| From 1½ to 2 | 95 | 615 | 461 | 70 | 15 | 1 | 1,257 |
| „ 1 to 1½ | 144 | 770 | 536 | 199 | 22 | 1 | 1,672 |
| Segregation | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | 16 |
| Total | 351 | 1603 | 1268 | 342 | 43 | 3 | 3,610 |