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29
For the first seven months of the year the one Public Health
Inspector, seconded for specialist Housing Act duties, continued to
work on these lines.
Our experience up to this time confirmed the possibilities
expressed in my last year's report, viz.:—
(i) The problems of over-occupation coupled with insecure
tenancies would have to be approached with discretion.
The service of statutory notices insisting on the provision of a
standard of amenities adequate for the house as occupied
at the time of inspection would, in our opinion, inspire
evictions.
(ii) The difficulty faced represented an intensely human problem
inseparable from the availability of alternative housing
accommodation, and where the Council could not re-house
families evicted without prejudicing those already on the
long waiting list.
In the middle of the year the Borough received more than its
share of publicity in the national and local press, consequent upon
questions raised in Parliament and throughout the remainder of
the year many discussions took place between Borough Councillors
and senior officers of both the Borough and the London County
Council. In particular, a meeting took place in August between
the Minister of Housing and Local Government and his senior
advisers and representatives of the Borough Council and officers.
At this meeting the Borough Council's difficulties in implementing
Part II of the 1961 Act were stated, including our Public Health staff
deficiencies. Advice was given by the Minister's staff on the
standard "Code of Practice" adopted by the Council for amenitiee
in relation to Section 15 notices and to making limits under Section
19.
In the same month the Council instructed that a special " houseto-house
" statistical survey should be carried out in St. Stephen's
Gardens, a road associated with " Rachmanism " and one which
had for some years presented difficulties to the Public Health
Inspectors.
The survey carried out by the staff of this Department, assisted
by other officers, gave the Council considerable statistical information
as to the lettings of the 120 houses and persons occupying those
lettings but did not indicate that conditions were in the state that
appeared to be the impression of many, due mainly to the publicity
that attended the bad properties.
A detailed house to house inspection by the Public Health
Inspector of all houses in multiple occupation in St. Stephen's
Gardens was then commenced and a further Inspector was temporarily
seconded from District work to give assistance.
It was decided as a matter of Council policy to deal with all the
houses in St. Stephen's Gardens that qualified, using the powers
given in Section 12/14 (Management Order procedure) and Section
19 (the application of limits to prevent future over-occupation, made
in relation to those amenities that were existing). It was also decided
that those houses so far inspected in Portnall Road should be dealt