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19
Unfit Premises
In order to rehouse families whose health is being detrimentally affected by their living conditions
and where closing orders are made under the Housing Act, 1957, a small quota of accommodation
has been allocated to such cases. When closing orders are made the circumstances of each
family in relation to the condition of their accommodation is considered and, if so recommended
by the Medical Officer of Health, the Housing Department give the applicant priority for rehousing.
Housing Priority on Medical Grounds
Nine hundred and sixty-nine medical certificates in support of rehousing applications were
dealt with. The figure for 1966 was 1,011.
Unlawful Eviction, Harassment and Provision of Rent Books
The public health inspectors continued to investigate cases referred to the Health Department
and during the year made enquiries into 112 allegations of harassment and 43 instances of nonprovision
of rent books. The figures for 1966 were 145 and 38 respectively.
Overcrowding
Table 16, page 71, gives statistical information about the known cases at the end of the year.
Certificates of Disrepair
There were no applications during 1967 for the issue of certificates of disrepair under the Rent
Act, 1957. In one case a certificate issued in a previous year was cancelled on the application of
the landlord, the necessary repairs having been completed.
(Table 17, page 72.)
Slum Clearance
During the year the following action was taken in connection with premises included in the
Council's slum clearance programme 1966-70:—
Ashmill Street/Broadley Street area: A compulsory purchase order was made in 1966. The
subsequent Public Inquiry was arranged for May 1967 but postponed to allow negotiations
then going on between the City Valuer and the remaining objectors to be pursued. Ultimately
all objections were withdrawn and an Inquiry was not necessary.
Boston Place: The properties in this area are being, or have been, improved to a standard
which makes it impossible to retain them in the slum clearance programme and the Health
Committee accepted a recommendation at their November meeting that these properties
should be deleted from the programme.
Cato Street: The tenement blocks in this street were represented with a view to clearance in
April 1967. No clearance area was declared as negotiations subsequently resulted in the
purchase by the Council in November of St. Michael's, St. George's and St. Mary's Dwellings,
and Erin House. Negotiations for the purchase of the two remaining blocks, Osborne and
Windsor Buildings, were proceeding at the end of the year.
Herries Street (North) area: This was declared a clearance area in July 1967 and compulsory
purchase orders were made in December.
Herries Street (South) area: This was declared a clearance area in October 1967. The
compulsory purchase orders had not been made at the end of the year.
Loans and Grants
During the year, 105 applications for loans and 92 applications for grants were referred to the
Health Department. The figures for 1966 were 140 and 106 respectively.
Common Lodging Houses
There are two common lodging houses in the City. One, accommodating 550 men is kept by
the Salvation Army at 18 Great Peter Street, S.W.1, whilst another for 716 men is run by Westminster
City Council Welfare Department at Bruce House, Kemble Street, W.C.2. A third establishment
formerly run by the Church Army at 84 Bell Street, N.W.1, with accommodation for 85 women,
has been converted into a residential hostel and is no longer registerable as a common lodging house.