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and sometimes before expiry of the agreed two year stay after successful training. Unless
and until each local authority is required to maintain an agreed quota of students in
training, the overall scarcity and the local deficiency on establishment of, for example,
public health inspectors will continue. It seems inequitable that areas such asTower
Hamlets whose priority needs ought to receive preferential treatment should continually
export its own expensively trained staff to authorities with fewer problems yet who, by
inadequate provision of training schemes,refrain from contributing to the common pool of
trained staff. Continual upgradings and new salary scales can do little in the long run
to remedy a chronic scarcity of available staff.
HOUSING
The agreed slum clearance programme has continued with reasonable speed over the
year. A further review of houses, including particularly the many sub-standard tenement
blocks, was made to differentiate those ripe for immediate consideration for clearance
from those where 'as and when' conversions are feasible, or those considered reasonable
for full conversion. Approximately 13,000 dwellings are tentatively defined as unfit
throughout the borough and these should be dealt with by the end of the quinquennium
1970-75, if not before. The publication of the Denington Report "Our Older Homes - A
Call for Action" of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, in particular that
part dealing with the renewal of twilight areas' does not appear relevant to the situation
existing here. In my view, our only answer is full scale clearance and redevelopment of
the blighted areas according to a programme which will ensure new housing set in planned
residential areas, insulated particularly from industry. This alone will remove the
adverse environmental conditions that have plagued the area since its 'laissez-faire'
growth in the 19th century and earlier. An illustrative example is the long overdue
project to remove all the poultry slaughter houses (now fouling residential areas) to an
industrial zone in the north eastern part of the borough. Using every power available,
including those in the Poplar/Stepney Comprehensive Development Area, the combined efforts
of the Greater London Council and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are transforming
the borough, albeit too slowly for some, such that its residents will be enabled for the
first time in recent history in this part of the East End to live in good housing set in
reasonable surroundings provided with adequate open space nearby.
LIAISON - NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
On page 27 , changes and developments during the year in respect of Sections 21 - 29
of the National Health Service Act, 1946 are enumerated at the request of the Ministry of
Health. In the borough a special problem regarding the hospital services arose with
proposals made by the London Hospital in response to the need to provide additional
facilities for the clinical teaching of an expanding medical student pupulation. The
teaching hospital recommends 'designation' to it of certain regional hospital board
hospitals for this purpose. In this scheme the 'designated' hospital passes to the
overall control of the teaching hospital.
3.