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This decrease in the number of notices served could
have been brought about by several different causes but these
causes are not clearly identifiable from the records.
At the end of 1957 some alterations were made in the
methods by which information coming to the Public Health
Department is recorded and it is hoped that in future years this
will allow of more precise analysis of the nature and number of
complaints and of the action taken and that they will give some
clearer indication of the trends in environmental matters.
Although it is not possible to quote figures it is quite
evident that the public are taking a greater interest in the
prevention of disease as distinct from the cure of illness. In
this the press have helped considerably and whilst there may be
some criticism of the sensational way in which they have dealt
with such subjects as the incidence of poliomyelitis or "Asian
flu" and the distribution of vaccines for protection against
these diseases, there is no doubt that the public have been
stimulated and Informed on the preventive aspects.
The local press in Hampstead has been very helpful and
although their references to the Council and to the Public
Health Department have at times been far from complimentary, they
have done much to encourage the public particularly in the field
of food hygiene where the attitude of the consumer can do so much
to improve standards.
The Report which follows summarises the work of the
Public Health Department for the year, but there were several
matters which aroused particular interest. The Rent Act, 1957
was a piece of legislation which caused considerable controversy.
By the end of the year it was far too early to assess the effects
of the Act but the number of applications for Certificates of
Disrepair was a good deal less than had been anticipated, although
there were many enquiries from both tenants and landlords at the
Public Health Department, and it is understood a great many more
at the enquiry bureau set up at the Town Hall.