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Slum Clearance
During the year 10 Clearance Areas were represented involving 339 houses. There were 13
Public Inquiries and 9 Orders have been confirmed to date.
Overcrowding
Principally, this arises from two main causes; natural increases in families and
deliberate over-occupation. The latter occurs in many cases of immigrants who are ignorant of
the existence of standards. This is difficult to condone, however, when a person applies to
his Government for an assisted passage which is refused on the grounds that the accommodation
he has provided for his family is not adequate and promptly proceeds to arrange for his wife
and eight children to come here on full fare and occupy ONE ROOM. The problems caused thereby
for various Council Departments need no mention here.
To control this type of overcrowding is difficult. A general requirement that adequate
accommodation was available for immigrants would only lead to the establishment of ''Clearing
Houses'* without there being control also over further movement from the original approved
address.
The standard for overcrowding has remained the same for the past 34 years and whilst it
is a very poor standard there is no point in raising it whilst there are far too many
overcrowded conditions by definition of the existing standard.
Underground Rooms
There is a considerable number of underground rooms in the Borough used for living and
sleeping purposes. When it is known that an occupier of an underground room is likely to be
rehoused closing order prpcedure under the Housing Act, 1957, is implemented.
During the year Closing Orders were made in respect of eight such rooms.
Applicat ions for Rehousing
At the end of the year, there were 7,616 applications for rehousing on the Council's
waiting list, 410 less than last year. Tenants of Council dwellings who have applied for
transfer to larger or smaller accommodation number 1,122, an increase of 82 on 1967.
Preferential Housing on Health Grounds
Applications for preferential housing on heal thgrounds investigated during the year numbered
558. An 'urgent' assessment was granted in 39 cases and balancing points were awarded in a
further 168. Tenant transfer was supported in the case of 112 tenants of Council dwellings.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
The multiple-occupation of houses is increasing and spreading to two storey houses, where
it is not unusual to find three or four families in occupation. Houses occupied in this way
become known to the Department by routine inspection, complaints and newsagents advertisements.
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