London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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51 [1925
INCREASE OF RENT AND MORTGAGE INTEREST (RESTRICTIONS)
ACTS, 1919, 1920, 1923 and 1925.
Upon the above Acts coming into operation, whereby at any time or times,
not being less than three months after the date of any increase of rent permitted,
the tenant or the Sanitary Authority may apply to the County Court for an order
suspending such increase, and also any increase under section 2, sub-section 1 (c);
on the ground that the house is not in all respects reasonably fit for human
habitation or is otherwise not in a reasonable state of repair, or on the Court being
satisfied by the production of a certificate of the Sanitary Authority on any such
ground as aforesaid is established, and upon being satisfied that the condition of
the house is not due to the tenants neglect or default, or breach of express agreement,
shall order that the increase be suspended until the Court is satisfied, on the
report of the Sanitary Authority or otherwise, that the necessary repairs have
been executed. On any application to a Sanitary Authority for a certificate or
report under the Act, a fee of one shilling is payable.
The certificate of a Sanitary Authority shall specify what works (if any)
required to be executed in order to put the house in a reasonable state of repair.
The issue of certificates under the above Acts under the authority of the Public
Health Committee in most cases throws a large amount of work on the staff of
the Public Health Department. The majority of the applicants have little idea of
their responsibility when the certificate is actually in their possession, the initial
idea being that they have only to pay the statutory fee of one shilling to the
Sanitary Authority to secure repairs being done. On the other hand the mere
issue of the certificate has resulted in a number of premises being redecorated
which otherwise might have remained in a state of disrepair, as the defects could
not be dealt with under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
Number of applications for certificates and reports under the above Acts.
| Year. | House or part of the house not kept in a reasonable state of repair. | House or part of the house kept in a reasonable state of repair. | Reports re completion of work mentioned in schedule issued with certificate. | Certificate not issued. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 25 | 28 | — | 1 | 54 |
| 1921 | 269 | 52 | 1 | 5 | 327 |
| 1922 | 157 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 195 |
| 1923 | 123 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 148 |
| 1924 | 117 | 6 | 19 | — | 112 |
| 1925 | 96 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 116 |
| Totals | 787 | 124 | 58 | 13 | 982 |
RABIES.
On 5th June, 1925, a notification was received from the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries of a suspected case of Rabies occurring in a brown-andwhite
dog seen by a Police Constable in York Road, on 30th May, 1925, snapping
at passers-by and foaming at mouth. Dog was taken to Police Station and there
destroyed. A man who assisted Police Constable was bitten on right hand. The