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in Waterloo Street and 4 Premises in Galway Street which were to have
been dealt with by the London County Council were merged into a larger
area including the whole of Galway Street and the North side of Radnor
Street including in all 158 Premises and covering an area of about
3.5 acres.
This area was represented in 1955 and a clearance order was made
in the same year.
Inspections
Owing to shortage of staff it has been impossible since the war
to institute regular house to house inspections apart from those
necessary in connection with representations for slum clearance or
demolition orders. Moreover, such inspections would have given rise
to much public dissatisfaction in that many defects not remediable
under the Public Health Acts would have been discovered and no effective
measures would have been possible to deal with them Nevertheless,
owing to the very large number of sanitary complaints received
information on the housing conditions in a majority of the properties
in the Borough was available and a clear knowledge of the prevailing
standards was in this way maintained.
In 1955 it was, however, found possible to carry out a limited
house to house inspection of the properties in Affleck Street.
The total number of house to house inspections for these purposes
in 1955 was 278.
Overcrowding
It is not possible to supply statistical information with regard
to the prevalence of overcrowding, but the impressions gained over the
years are of interest. Whenever overcrowding is discovered the
occupant has been urged to apply for rehousing either to the Borough
or the County Council though in most cases this has already been done.
Appropriate information is then supplied to the authority concerned.
Occasionally wilful overcrowding has been discovered. This has
occurred from time to time with intent to advance claims for alternative
housings. A number of other cases have been by Irish, Cypriots
or other foreigners coming to London to seek employment and whose
standards of housing are not as high as those in this country Pressure
has been exercised both directly on the occupiers and indirectly
through the landlords on the whole successfully to remedy the overcrowding,
although in no case have legal proceedings been instituted
Landlords generally have been warned of their responsibilities in this
connection.