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The existing estates of the County Council, other than that at
Becontree in Essex, have now been practically completed and occupied.
Nomination of tenants by the Borough Councils has therefore ceased,
except in the case of the latter estate, which, however, has no attraction
for Westminster workers owing to its distance from the City and its
inaccessibility.
Housing Applications.—It is the practice of the Public Health
Department to examine all applications received by the Council for
housing accommodation and in cases where overcrowding or other
insanitary conditions appear to exist, to inspect and report to the Town
Clerk for the information of the Housing Committee. During the year,
344 such inspections were made and of the urgent cases discovered 137
were re-housed in dwellings of the City Council or of the London County
Council.
The City of Westminster year bv year is developing as the City of
London developed in the past—becoming a centre for merchandise,
banking, and other spheres of commerce. In addition its traditional
characteristic as the home of the Arts and Sciences is continually extending.
If these features are to be preserved and this natural scheme of evolution
is to proceed there cannot also be a very large development as a workingclass
district. So far as the Council is concerned in providing dwellings,
certain guiding principles will have to be set up. Who actually requires
to live in Westminster to be near his or her place of work ? It should be
a condition that a tenant holds his tenancy only so long as his work
remains of such a nature that it demands his living near at hand. There
is no other way of settling a problem which is likely to become more and
more difficult as years go on. It is well known that tenants from other
districts are most eager to live in Westminster irrespective of where
their work may be. Having obtained a room or rooms these families
increase and grow older. Soon, as "old Westminster" residents they
lodge applications for the Council's dwellings on the grounds of overcrowding,
&c. If they succeed in obtaining larger accommodation it is
more than likely that their old rooms will be taken by a family from an
outside district. So it goes on. From a close study of the housing
problem extending almost over five years one is becoming convinced that
there is generally in Westminster sufficient working-class accommodation
for all to whom it is vitally important to live near their work. It will be
remembered that a large proportion of it is occupied by those who work in
other districts—18,900 in 1921 census. The cost of travelling or occupations
entailing abnormal hours are of course very pressing questions for
Westminster workers. The Council's activities should therefore clearly