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29
HOUSING ACT 1961.—This Act received the Royal Assent on the
24th October, 1961 and became operative one month later. The
main provisions directly affecting the work of the Public Health
Department are:—
Section 12 Enables a local authority to apply regulations which
will be made by the Minister of Housing and Local
Government (under section 13 of the Act) to houses
in multiple occupation. The object of the regulations
is to ensure proper standards of management and in
particular will deal with those parts of the premises
which are in common use e.g. kitchens, water-closets,
staircases and gardens.
Section 14 Enables a local authority to serve a notice requiring
works in a house to which regulations have been applied.
Section 15 Enables a local authority to serve a notice (in relation.
to a house in multiple occupation) requiring work if the
house does not have " reasonable facilities " for lighting,
ventilation, water supply, washing, drainage, waterclosets,
food storage preparation and cooking, disposal
of waste water, and space heating. The facilities required
must have regard to the number of occupiers and the
notice may be complied with by reducing the number of
occupiers.
Section 18 Gives a local authority the power to carry out work in
default of compliance with notices served under sections
14 and 15.
Section 19 Empowers a local authority to make a "direction"
fixing the number of persons who may occupy a house
in multiple occupation.
Section 22 Empowers a local authority to keep a register of houses
let in lodgings, subject to confirmation by the Minister.
Section 24 Allows a Clearance Order to be varied (previously an
order confirmed by the Minster was irrevocable).
Section 26 Allows a Demolition Order to be determined and a
Closing Order substituted.
The return allowed to the owner of a house let on a controlled
tenancy in respect of improvements is increased from 8 per cent. to
12½ per cent. of his expenditure; the provisions of the House Purchase
and Housing Act 1959 relating to the standard grant for a hot water
supply and a water-closet are amended; and the repairing obligations
of the parties to short leases (less than seven years) of dwelling
houses are amended.
It is too early to comment on the working of the Act but I hope
to report further on the practical aspects of the Act in Paddington in
my 1962 Report.
UNDERGROUND ROOM REGULATIONS.—In June 1959 the
Minister of Housing and Local Government issued Circular No.
38/59 which notified Councils that the existing model underground
room regulations had been revised and asked that local authorities
should review their own regulations in the light of the new model.