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32
PART 3
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
During the past year, the Environmental Health Section was
reorganised into divisions. Three divisions—General, Food and
Housing—were formed, each responsible for its own particular
sphere of duty. This reorganisation has been a great success and
has enabled the inspectorate to concentrate on and become more
familiar with the legislation applicable to their particular division
and for the senior inspectors of these divisions to organise and plan
campaigns for their particular sphere of activity.
During the year, two of the younger inspectors left to take up
appointments with outside Authorities and the Deputy Chief Public
Health Inspector was promoted to become the Council's Housing
Improvements Officer. The staff was increased by the addition
of five inspectors from other Authorities, together with four technical
assistants. Thus, at the end of 1970, for the first time for
many years, the establishment of the Environmental Health Section
was nearly complete.
Thoughout 1970 reorganisation has introduced into the Section
a sense of enthusiasm and drive, particularly in the Housing and
Food Divisions.
The Housing Division actively carried out its programme of
work, both in slum clearance and in regard to houses in multiple
occupation. In addition, the full impact of the Housing Act, 1969,
started to be felt when 1,118 applications for qualification certificates
and 394 applications for provisional qualification certificates
were received, each premises having to be carefully inspected and
the application vetted. Unfortunately, during the first half of the
year, staff shortages hindered the work of the department, and
during the latter half of the year, with time having to be spent in
training newly-appointed staff, we were unable to achieve the target
which we had originally set out to reach. However, having finally
achieved a full complement of inspectors and technical assistants
towards the end of the year and the latter having virtually completed
their training, I am quite sure that the coming year will not
only see our target figures reached but surpassed.
The Food Division also, for the first time for many years, had a
full complement of inspectors by the end of the year and great
strides were made into the backlog of work on reinspections of food
premises. Successful prosecutions were taken against food firms, and
it became obvious throughout the year that by having Press releases