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Owners of houses or rooms in which tenants lived in overcrowded or
other insanitary conditions were written to in 124 instances, after the
occupiers moved to other dwellings, emphasizing the need of preventing
the recurrence of such conditions.
Schools.—In addition to the large number of academic institutions
in Westminster there are 29 elementary and 5 secondary schools either
wholly or partly under the control and management of the London
County Council.
The sanitary condition of these calls for no special comment ;
alterations or improvements of sanitary arrangements are carried out
from time to time, when plans of proposed work are submitted to this
Department.
Kensington Proposals with regard to Underground
Rooms.
The Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee asked for the
observations of the City Council on certain proposals submitted by the
Kensington Borough Council to the London County Council on the
subject of underground rooms, namely : —
(а) The Borough Councils to survey all underground rooms.
(б) To schedule those rooms unfit for living or sleeping purposes.
(c) To inform owners concerned in (6) accordingly.
(d) Owner to have 21 days to appeal to the Minister on Council's decision
under (6).
(e) If no appeal made or if appeal dismissed by Minister, the underground room
in question to be closed for living or sleeping purposes when the tenant of the said
room ceases to occupy it.
(f) Penalty for re-letting or re-occupying a scheduled underground room.
(g) " Tenant" defined as person who occupies the basement room or rooms in
a scheduled house.
(h) Borough Councils to be given power to require concreting of the floors of
basement rooms liable to flooding in heavy storms where nuisance may arise on
account of wooden floors.
Previous Proposals.—The whole question of the use of underground rooms was
fully reported upon by the Medical Officer of Health in December, 1929, as a result
of a communication from the London County Council in November, 1929, when the
City Council passed a resolution stating that whilst it was in sympathy with the
proposal to prevent the occupation for all habitable purposes of all unsatisfactory
underground rooms it was not prepared, having regard to the existing housing
difficulties, to support the proposal of the London County Council at that time.