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95
tion of the Clearance Orders made in each case was received from the
Ministry of Housing and Local Government.
Consideration was given during the year to the clearance programme
for 1961/65 and a large number of houses which were thought
to be of a suitable type were inspected. From these a combined programme
part of which will be dealt with by the London County Council
was evolved. It is becoming increasingly difficult in the borough, to find
the type of house which is obviously worn out and beyond repair as was
the case about ten years or more ago. One can visualise that, as the
general standard improves so will sights be set higher and houses which
get by as borderline now will be considered to be well below standard".
A most notable event was the coming into operation of the Rent
Act, 1957 with consequent effects on certain aspects of housing work.
In some instances the provisions of this Act showed undoubted benefits,
but in one respect it would appear to be somewhat retrogressive.
"Because of the new rent limits, it was found that the 'reasonable'
cost of carrying out repairs to individual unfit properties was more likely
and therefore the latter half of the year saw a decline in the proportion of
cases where it was necessary to recommend action for possible demolition
or closure. Again, because of the new rent limits, owners were encouraged
to submit offers to make fit for habitation houses which had been
previously subject to preliminary action leading to demolition or which
had been closed. Thus many properties which, although in disrepair,
had a reasonably long life were brought up to a good standard and in
several instances houses which had been vacated were eventually
re-occupied.
"The unfortunate feature of the new Rent Act has been a reduction
in the number of enquiries and applications for improvement grants for
conversions of larger properties into self-contained flats. This is thought
to be due to the discouraging effect of the new rent limits specifically
applied to these cases by the Act. Conversions carried out under this
scheme prior to the 1957 Rent Act, when the rents were fixed by the
Council, attained a very good standard because owners made improvements
beyond the minimum required, thus adding to the comfort and
convenience of the tenants. The rent limits now allowed by the Act,
namely twice the gross assessment, are much below the figures previously
fixed by the Council for accommodation of a comparable size. It is thus
thought that because of the relatively high cost of conversion, together
with in many cases extensive maintenance work, owners will find it
uneconomic to carry out work to the standard so far attained. The
result may be that expenditure will be cut to a minimum, with a consequent
lowering of standards, or worse still, owners may not be in a
position to carry out conversions at all.
Discretionary Grants and Standard Grants
Standard grants—given for the establishment of certain facilities
otherwise lacking—are equivalent to 50 per cent, of the cost, with
maxima of £25 for a bath or shower, £5 for a wash-hand basin, £75 for a
hot water supply, £40 for a w.c. and £10 for a food store. The largest
possible grant is therefore £155. These grants are made under the
House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959, and during the year 21 applications
were investigated and reported on.