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61 1938
SECTION D—HOUSING
HOUSING ACT, 1936
Abatement of Overcrowding.
The Council on the 17th December, 1937, decided to offer no objection to a
proposal of the London County Council that it should be suggested to the Minister
of Health that the appointed day for the purposes of Section 62 of the Act should
be the 1st April, 1938, and the appointed day for the purposes of Sections 59 and 64
and Section 60 and Sub-section 2 of Section 6 of the Act should be the 1st October,
1938.
In explanation it may be stated that Section 62 provides for entry in rent
books or similar documents of a summary in the prescribed form of certain provisions
of the Act relating to overcrowding. Sections 59 and 64 contain provisions as to
offences in relation to overcrowding. The power of the Minister of Health to increase
the permitted number temporarily to meet exceptional conditions is dealt with
in Section 60, and Sub-section 2 of Section 6 indicates that bye-laws for fixing the
number of persons who may occupy a house shall cease to have effect after the
appointed day.
One of the items to be entered in a rent book used in relation to a
house is a statement of the permitted number of occupiers of the house and before
the information as to this number could be supplied it was necessary for the measurement
of rooms to be undertaken. On the 6th January, 1938, the Council authorised
the engagement of the requisite temporary survey and clerical assistants with the
approval of the London County Council to cope with the work and on the 18th
March this was commenced ; the disused Coroner's Court was occupied as an
administrative centre.
By the end of September the services of the survey assistants were dispensed
with but the clerical assistants were retained. At the end of the year 32,104
certificates were issued in respect of 38,610 dwelling-houses.
The following explanatory pamphlet of the overcrowding provisions of the
Act was forwarded with the certificates.
Housing Act, 1936.
The Prevention and Abatement of Overcrowding.
Metropolitan Borough of Islington.
1. Overcrowding is Illegal.
The Housing Act, 1936, provides that, after a date to be fixed by the Minister
of Health, it will be an offence for any occupier of a dwelling-house or the landlord
thereof to cause or permit the house to be overcrowded. The date fixed by the
Minister for the Metropolitan Borough of Islington is the 1st October, 1938.
2. Definitions.
Throughout this pamphlet :
(a) " DWELLING-HOUSE" means " any premises used as a separate
dwelling by members of the working classes or of a type suitable for such use."