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9
There was close co-operation between the Officers of the London
County Council and the Public Health Department and consultations
with the Senior Sanitary Inspector took place throughout, particularly
regarding the drainage of additional flats and proposed shops with flats
over the Estate Office in Woodberry Grove. The Woodberry Down
Primary School was sufficiently advanced for half of the accommodation
to be opened for the children on the Estate by September, 1950.
The Senior Housing Inspector, Mr. Frisby, has done excellent work
throughout the year in connection with the Housing Act, 1936. The
Senior Housing Inspector is responsible for all sections of the Housing
Act dealt with by the Public Health Department, such as reconditioning,
closing, overcrowding, and all applications for housing accommodation
where the London County Council or Borough Council require information,
are dealt with by him. Mr. Frisby was originally in charge of the
Housing Survey which enquired into housing conditions in connection
with overcrowding standards set up by the Housing Acts. Mr. Frisby has
the assistance of Mr. Whittaker as regards Section 9 of the Housing Act
(Reconditioning), but Mr. Whittaker has also a sanitary district in
his charge.
The Senior Housing Inspector works under considerable difficulties
as regards his reconditioning work under Section 9 of the Housing Act,
1936, since whenever any District Sanitary Inspector is absent from his
duty owing to illness or holiday, Mr. Frisby must, owing to the shortage
of staff and the size of the sanitary district, take over the vacant district.
At the time of writing, Mr. Frisby is in charge of a district vacancy
which arose from the resignation of Mr. Stribley.
In spite of all handicaps, the Senior Housing Inspector has kept the
work going in a very satisfactory way and has been fortunate in obtaining
compliance with his informal notices, thus avoiding the service of many
formal notices. Service of formal notice is avoided to the very fullest
possible extent since it entails, in the event of non-compliance, the
Council taking over responsibility for carrying out the work and
obtaining the cost, which is a charge upon the property, as far as possible
from the rent.
The Senior Housing Inspector, in addition to responsibilities for the
implementation of Parts II and IV of the Housing Act, 1936, has undertaken
the supervision of drainage works on certain of the Council
building sites. Following the resignation of a District Inspector, the
Senior Housing Inspector has taken over control of the vacated district
temporarily until the vacancy can be filled. This will be reflected,
naturally, by a reduction in primary inspections under the Housing Act,
1936, but steps have been taken to ensure continuity of revisits to
properties where work to comply with notices is being carried out.
There were during the year, several Smallpox outbreaks in other
parts of the country and notice of contacts was received in the Borough
concerning which details are placed in the report under the section
dealing with Infectious Disease.