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TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF POPLAR
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit my Annual Report on the health and sanitary
circumstances of the Borough for the year 1953.
The health of the population appears to have been reasonably satisfactory
during the year and there has been at least some improvement in the general
standard of living.
Probably the greatest improvement to be seen is in housing. The rebuilding
of areas of housing takes a long time, requiring a great deal of preliminary
work lasting sometimes for many months before even a brick is laid. The work of
former years resulted in the completion of 423 houses and flats during 1953. Of
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these 235 were built by the Borough Council and 188 by the London County Council.
By reason of the demolition of old houses the increase in the number of inhabited
houses was only 196 but the houses which were demolished were some of the worst
in the Borough and the new houses and flats are of a standard of which the local
authority can be proud.
Alongside this replacement of bad old houses by good new ones, and probably
influenced by it, is the improvement of existing houses and it is very striking
to see the improvement both in the decoration and the furnishing of many of the
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