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43
PART II.
C.—Housing, House Inspection, etc.
Both the Housing and the Public Health Committees interviewed
representatives from the Westminster City Labour Party on the subject
of housing. The former Committee also received a deputation from the
City of Westminster Ratepayers' and Leaseholders' Association on the
same subject.
Both Committees discussed very fully the difficulties which confronted
them in dealing with the housing problem in its various aspects.
The views of both deputations, as well as of others who have written
or spoken on the subject, appear to be that the City of Westminster, which
was already contributing a very large sum of money annually to the
housing of London as a whole, was not getting the advantage it should
from this contribution and that more houses should be built in Westminster.
The Council has always held the opinion that provision should
be made in the City for persons whose work necessitated living near their
work, especially those who had to be at work late at night or early in the
morning, but they have been confronted with many difficulties, particularly
with respect to obtaining suitable and available sites, the cost of
land, &c., and of securing, in the circumstances, the sanction of the
Minister of Health to schemes which have been proposed. The question
of housing is, however, a much wider one and cannot be dealt with locally
by Borough Councils. It involves many considerations with which
Parliament itself has difficulty in dealing.
The City Council has been able, after prolonged negotiations, to get
a scheme passed for building new dwellings on a corner site with
frontages to Pimlico Road, Avery Farm Road and Ebury Square, and
the work of erection is well in hand, and it is hoped that they will be
ready for occupation early in 1924.
The site has been leased to the Council for this purpose for a term of
99 years by His Grace the Duke of Westminster at the nominal rent of
£1 per annum. The building, which has been designed by Messrs. Joseph,
is five storeys in height, and comprises 15 three-room flats, 20 four-room
(5416)q d