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Closing of Unfit parts of Buildings (Section 12 Housing Act, 1936)
Following official representations, 3 Closing Orders were made
by the Council during the year prohibiting the use for human habitation
of seven rooms - four of the rooms being underground rooms.
Repair of Unfit Houses (Section 9 Housing Act, 1936)
In the period prior to that covered by this Report, 197 notices
were served requiring the person having control of a block of flats
to execute specified works in order to render such premises fit for
human habitation. The owner failed to comply with the notices and
the Council itself decided to attend to the works. Difficulties
arising from the owner's war damage claims delayed matters but a
contract was entered into with a local builder in December, 1952, in
respect of 73 of the premises and works were commenced on the 8th
December, 1952.
Section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936, is used extensively by some
Councils and rarely, if ever, by others. Experience in this instance
has been disappointing. It was unfortunate that war damage claims
and repairs added very considerably to the unavoidable delays with
the result that the work required by the Council only commenced some
two years after the inspection of the premises and this fact led to
further difficulties since, with the lapse of time, conditions in the
premises had deteriorated.
This method of obtaining repairs and maintenance of property
throws a considerably greater amount of work on the Public Health
Department and other departments of the Council than the more usual
procedure under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and It would
appear that whilst Section 9 procedure may have been very suitable
in 1936 and may still be the method of choice in individual cases it
is not generally satisfactory for dealing with present day conditions.
Improvement of Houses (Housing Act, 1949)
The conversion of 25 out-dated flats into 15 flats with modern
amenities was completed during the year for the Peabody Donation
Fund with financial assistance under Section 31 of the Act.