London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Greenwich 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
57
In connection with item 4 E on the table on page 61, difficulty
was experienced in deciding whether certain rooms should have
been excluded from measurement. Although cooking and washing
might take place in some rooms, they could not be regarded as
sculleries because of the absence of sinks In other cases basement
rooms had been closed for sleeping purposes under the Public
Health Act, but because of their legal use as living rooms, could
be regarded as rooms within the meaning of the Housing Act.
In one particular case it was noted that a house was not overcrowded
in the aggregate, but because of the ages of the children
and the size of the rooms, no allocation of the family could be made,
which did not cause the individual rooms to be overcrowded.
The following table shews the position with regard to overcrowding within the Borough and the progress of abatement at the end of the year.
| London County Council properties in respect of which permitted numbers were obtained | 693 |
| Borough Council properties in respect of which permitted numbers were obtained | 1,186 |
| Other properties in respect of which permitted numbers were obtained | 12,374 |
| No. of dwellings found to be overcrowded | 751 |
| No. of overcrowded persons in families referred to the Council for abatement | 4,435 |
| No. of overcrowdings abated as compared with the original survey | 261 |
| No. of cases abated by official action | Nil. |
Slum Clearance.—This aspect of the work continues to
occupy a good deal of attention. It is a matter for regret that
following the representation of an area as unfit, a long period should
elapse before ultimate demolition. This is accounted for in part
by opposition from property owners, the inevitable enquiry, and,
in certain cases, appeals to the High Court from the Minister's
decision. The difficulty in obtaining necessary repairs to houses
when demolition orders are pending, is a constant source of complaint
to the Department. Landlords are unwilling to expend
money in keeping these houses up to any standard of fitness when
they are already represented as unfit for human habitation. There
should be some procedure whereby the removal of families from
surroundings so detrimental to health could be expedited.
With the acquisition of the Cherry Orchard land at Charlton
by the Council, and the development of the remaining farm land