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54
SECTION D
HOUSING
(In conjunction with Mr. W.C. Bartlett, Chief Public Health Inspector.)
Once again this has been mainly a year of work under Part II of the Housing Act 1957
details of which appear on pages 55/56.
Over 1,600 detailed surveys have been carried out by the Inspectors and whilst it is
apparent that there are still many unfit properties in the Borough the problem arising
from properties which fell into disrepair during the war years and subsequently suffered
from lack of maintenance in the immediate post war period is now much diminished It is
pleasing to note that at the end of the year the last of the 400 properties falling to be
dealt with as individual unfit houses under the programme submitted to the Minister of Housing
and Local Government under the provisions of the Housing Repairs and Rent Act 1954 were
dealt with
There is a decreasing number of houses falling short of the standard of fitness required
under Section 4 of the Housing Act, 1957 which are not capable of being repaired at reasonable
cost Accordingly consideration should be given to action which will result in the older type
properties being brought up to present day standards Many of the large terraced dwelling
houses in Islington comprise four storeys and were obviously not designed to accommodate the
number of families now residing therein In particular attention must be focussed on securing
the installation of amenities such as additional sanitary accommodation water supply together
with adequate facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food and the disposal of
waste water
During the year under review, no clearance areas were submitted to the Ministry of Housing
and Local Government for confirmation. The number of flats and houses erected during the year is
Borough Council 302
London County Council Nil
Private enterprise 85
The number of municipal flats and houses erected since the war is
Borough Council. 3,494
London County Council 2,630
The total number of dwellings in the Borough at the end of the war was 44 476
Applications made by tenants for Certificates of Disrepair under the Rent Act 1957
required the inspection of many lettings together with additional re visits when owners had
carried out works in order to obtain the increased rents to which they are entitled under the
Act
The problem of houses in multiple occupation has caused the Department no little concern
particularly where properties are let out in furnished rooms with little regard to overcrowding
or congestion which might occur, or the greater inconvenience to the tenants caused by lack of
amenities During the present year some 69 inspections were made of houses let in lodgings and
whilst it has been possible to deal with many of these properties on an informal basis it was
also necessary to report five such cases with a view to stronger action being taken The
Department has found that where owners are reasonable it is possible to effect some improvement
in the living conditions in this type of property but a Notice served under Section 36 of the
Housing Act 1957 suffers from the grave defect that whilst the person in control can be
required to do work he can also in default of the execution of the specified works secure a
reduction in the number of individuals or householders in lieu thereof It is of course well
known that many of the families living in this type of property are usually in desperate need
of accommodation and a service of a Notice cannot be a satisfactory solution of the problem in
every case
One certificate to the effect that the several tenements were so constructed and arranged
as to secure effective ventilation of habitable rooms in every tenement was issued during the
year under Section 5 of the Housing Act 1957 in respect of four flats in Block I of the
Peabody Estate Greenman Street