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88
March, 1960. This forecast has been amply borne out since only
21 families were rehoused from the housing register during the year
compared with 114 in 1958. It was certainly the leanest year in this
respect since the war, the situation being aggravated by the fact that
only 47 new dwellings were handed over for letting. One hundred
and fifty-five families were transferred from one property to another
during the year and these included a high proportion of transfers
from requisitioned premises. The number of mutual exchanges
effected was 36 which is up to the average for the last few years.
" Considerable progress was made in solving the requisitioning
problem and 367 dwelling units were released from requisitioning
during the year. Quite a number of these were purchased by the
Council and at the end of 1959 a total of 255 dwelling units had
been purchased since the Requisitioned Houses and Housing
(Amendment) Act, 1955, come into operation. Three hundred and
twenty-seven had been released to owners with vacant possession
during that 3½ year period and in 589 cases owners had accepted
licensees as their tenants.
" By the end of the year there remained 397 dwelling units still
requisitioned but of these all but 98 were accounted for in one way
or another, mainly as a result of negotiations for purchase or lease.
In connection with the purchasing programme it had been necessary
to make three Compulsory Purchase Orders affecting some 58
dwellings.
" Despite the reduction in the numbers rehoused from the
housing register the latter once again showed a fall during the year.
This trend has been evident for some years now. The average number
of new registrations per month was 25 but cancellations were
such that the number registered at the end of the year was 1,969
compared with 2,142 at the beginning.
" The outlook for next year is that again very little progress
will be made in rehousing from the housing register since the end of
requisitioning will not be the end of the problem. The vast majority
of acquired requisitioned premises will have to have works of
repair, adaptation and conversion carried out on them and this will
mean that a large number of properties will have to be vacated to
enable these works to be carried out. Furthermore there will be
families to be transferred from sites to be redeveloped so that the
emphasis will be once again on transfers and not on the rehousing
of housing applicants."