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84
BY-LAWS AS TO HOUSES LET IN LODGINGS OR TO
MEMBERS OF MORE THAN ONE FAMILY.
Continuing this subject from the point at which it stopped in the Annual
Report for 1907, a communication dated 6th July, 1908, was received from
the Local Government Board stating that a Local Inquiry would be held,
upon a date hereafter to be fixed, for the purpose of considering the proposed
amendments of the By-laws as to Houses Let in Lodgings or to members of
more than one family. (This communication is set out under the head of
Staff in the preceding "§ 1. Inspections.")
The Local Government Board Inquiry was accordingly held at the Town
Hall on the 15th and 22nd September, 1908, when Mr. W.T. Ricketts appeared
on behalf of the St. Pancras Borough Council, and Mr. J.W. Godfrey
appeared on behalf of the London County Council. The Inquiry concentrated
itself upon the Exemption Clause for fixing a limit as to the class of house
that should become registrable under the By-laws.
The London County Council preferred to have the exemption clause swept
away altogether. The Local Government Board in such By-laws have hitherto
approved of an exemption clause fixing a limit of rental under which a house
should become registrable. The Borough Council desired to have an exemption
clause fixing a limit to the degree of sub-letting which should make houses
registrable. The question at issue is two-fold; the first portion of the question
is whether it is desirable to have an exemption clause, and if this is answered
in the affirmative the second portion of the question is whether the limit should
be a limit of rent or a limit of habitable accommodation.
The following communication has since the Inquiry been received from the
Local Government Board:—
Local Government Board,
133, 153. C. 1908. Whitehall, s.w.
31st March, 1909.
Sir,
I am directed by the Local Government Board to advert to the Local
Inquiry held by their Inspector, Dr. Sweeting, with respect to the amendments
proposed to be made by the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of St.
Pancras in the by-laws with respect to Houses let in Lodgings or occupied by
members of more than one family in force in the Borough.
The Board have had their Inspector's Report under consideration, together
with the considerable body of evidence adduced at the Inquiry, and the information
obtained by Dr. Sweeting by personal investigations as to the practical
effect of the proposed exemption clause in various parts of the Borough.
Having regard to the information thus acquired the Board have been compelled
to arrive at the conclusion that, under the proposed by-law, on the one hand many
houses which are of a class not needing regulation on sanitary grounds would
come within the operation of the by-laws, and on the other hand a very large
number of houses in respect of which regulation is necessary,—estimated by
Dr. Sweeting at half the total number of this class,—would be exempted. It
appears certain too that this undesirable result would obtain not only in regard