London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Islington 1955

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

42
Swimming Bath Water.
The number of samples of swimming bath water taken during the year is as
follows :—
Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
Chemical Bacteriological Chemical Bacteriological Chemical Bacteriological
6 6 6 6 • — —
In addition four samples of subsoil water were taken.
SECTION D
HOUSING
(In conjunction with Mr. W. C. Bartlett, Chief Sanitary Inspector).
The clearance of unfit areas and individual houses continues. The number of
flats and houses erected during the year was :—
Borough Council 144
London County Council 308
Private enterprise 36 (includes new and rebuilt)
The number of flats and houses erected in the Borough since the war is :—
Borough Council 2,411
London County Council 2,197
As mentioned in the report for last year, the Housing Repairs and Rents Act,
1954, placed an obligation upon the Council to submit within 12 months, for the
Minister's approval, proposals for dealing one way or another with the houses in
the area which appear to be unfit for human habitation and with any other houses
within the district which are, or ought to be, included in clearance areas.
The Council, whilst making every endeavour to carry out its responsibilities by
engaging additional staff, were unable to complete the survey within the prescribed
period.

Table: In the Metropolitan area the proposals must be submitted jointly by the London County Council and the local Council. The following joint return was submitted for this borough:—

In the Metropolitan area the proposals must be submitted jointly by the London County Council and the local Council. The following joint return was submitted for this borough:—

Total number of permanent houses in areaEstimated number of unfit housesAction in first 5 years
Number of houses to be demolished
Individual housesHouses in clearance areasTotal number of houses to be demolished
45,357834400(a)342834
(b)92

Text

Copy text to clipboard

(a) by London County Council. (b) by Metropolitan Borough Council.
As the survey of the borough is not yet completed it will be necessary for
supplementary proposals to be submitted to the Minister, and discussions with the
London County Council are pending, in order that agreement may be reached.
Whilst every effort is made by the Council to clear or improve unfit property,
and much has been done, there still remains a very large number of sub-standard,
obsolescent houses which require appropriate Housing Act action.