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110
Under Section 90, the Council may, if it considers the numbers
of persons accommodated in a house let-in-lodgings to be excessive
having regard to the rooms available, serve on the person having
control of the said premises, a notice specifying the maximum number
of people permitted to occupy for sleeping purposes any room
therein. After the notice becomes operative an offence is committed
if any room is occupied contrary to the terms of such notice or
where persons of opposite sex over the age of 12 years and not living
as man and wife are allowed to occupy the same sleeping accommodation.
Previously Section 36 of the 1957 Act enabled the Council
to enforce standards whilst giving the person in control of the house
a choice of action; either (a) to carry out works specified in the
notice or (b) to reduce the density of occupation, in which case
possession of the whole or part of the premises can be obtained
notwithstanding the Rent Acts.
However, as these powers proved to be inadequate, on 24th
November of the current year, this Section was repealed under the
Housing Act, 1961. This new Act, inter alia, gives power to the
Council to implement a code of management which has yet to be
formulated by the Minister in accordance with Section 13 of the
1961 Act. At the time of writing Regulations establishing a code
of management were before Parliament for ratification.
A new power authorizing a local authority to carry out works
in default of the owner and to recover the costs as a civil debt is
also contained in the new Act.
By-laws as to artificial lighting of common staircases in tenement
houses and flats made under Section 63 of the L.C.C. (General
Powers) Act, 1956, were confirmed by the Minister and came into
operation on 1st August this year.
During the year three visits were made by Public Health
Inspectors to houses in multiple occupation and on no occasion
was it found necessary to serve a notice.
Redevelopment.—A number of houses which would have been
included in the Council's slum clearance schemes have already been
dealt with by the Trustees of the Morden College Estate in their
own redevelopment schemes. Since the war, and up to the end
of I960, some 45 houses and a number of prefabricated dwellings
had been demolished and some 91 dwellings and 12 garages had
been erected.
During 1961, although no new dwellings were completed, a
further 11 properties, as listed, were demolished.