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towards the end of the year, just before Christmas, the first block of
the Springfield Grove Estate was handed over. A considerable
proportion of these dwellings was occupied by families transferred
from requisitioned accommodation, but, of course, these requisitioned
units became available for re-letting to housing applicants
and during the year a total of 158 families from the Housing Register
were rehoused, 30 of them in Council-owned properties and 128 in
requisitioned accommodation. The percentages of the various
types of accommodation required have varied very little during the
year, the heaviest demand still being for the two-bedroomed type.
"4. Transfers.—During the yoar 180 families were transferred
from one type of property to another: of these, 101 were transferred
to Council-owned property, mainly from requisitioned accommodation,
whilst 79 were transferred from one type of requisitioned
property to another. When the 36 flats at Miles House and Bolton
House became available for letting, the decision was made to make
this an opportunity for an attack on the problem of underoccupation
both in requisitioned property and in Council-owned
property. The majority of these flats were, therefore, allocated to
families who were occupying accommodation in excess of their
present needs. The first block of flats at Springfield, known as Ducie
House, was allotted to families in requisitioned accommodation.
In dealing with transfers from requisitioned properties to
Council-owned accommodation, the Housing Committee are
frequently confronted with the statements from licensees that they
are not prepared to move to flats and will only accept houses. No
special consideration is given to such applicants unless there are
extenuating medical circumstances, and the result is that such
licensees who insist on houses will have to wait a very long time
before they can be moved.
"5. Mutval Exchanges.—The number of Mutual exchanges has
shown a slight increase over the preceding year, 58 having been
arranged. The Committee are sympathetically inclined towards
applications for mutual exchango, recognising that in this way the
needs of a great number of families can be met. The co-operation
of the London County Council and of other Local Authorities in
arranging mutual exchanges has been very valuable.
During the year the Mutual Exchange Register maintained in
the Lettings Section of the Department has been thoroughly
overhauled with a view to giving the maximum assistance to those
families wishing to exchange. Experience has shown, however,
that the majority cf exchanges are arrived at as a result of private
contact being made between the families concerned, sometimes by
advertisements in shop windows, etc."