View report page

old. These houses did not attain a very high standard of either materials or
workmanship, the arrangements were poorly planned in that in almost every case
there is no access to the rear of the house with the result that everything going
into the house and everything coming out, including household refuse, must pass
through the front door. The amenities are poor; the W. C. is generally situated
out in the back yard and the 1951 census showed that 72% of all the dwellings in
the Borough were without a bath.
Consequently, although there are comparatively few houses which are suitable
for immediate representation there are many more which are coming to the end of
their useful life and which will have to be dealt with in say 10-15 years. In the
meantime very many families will be condemned to live in houses which are becoming
increasingly decrepit and without those amenities which must surely be regarded as
necessary in this period of our civilisation. A bath and a hot water supply cannot
nowadays be regarded as a luxury but the provisions of the housing legislation to
encourage the supply of these amenities has so far had very little effect.
In many instances tenants have done a great deal by way of redecoration and
minor repairs to improve the houses in which they live but major works are usually
beyond their means apart from being normally the responsibility of the owner of
the house. The owner cannot be compelled to provide amenities such as a bath even
though he can obtain financial assistance through an improvement grant and it is
-8-