London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1912

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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231
Housing Accounts and Statistics.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
ACCOUNTS AND STATISTICS.
Working Class Dwellings Accounts, 1912-13—Memorandum by the Comptroller (Mr. H. E.
Ha ward).
These accounts are prepared, subject to audit, in advance of the Annual Accounts of the Council
for the year ending 31st March, 1913. They comprise all the dwellings and lodging houses erected or
owned by the Council. These dwellings are provided either (a) under the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890 (Parts I., II. and III.), or (b) under Improvement Acts.

The results of the year 1912-13, after interest and sinking fund charges have been met are shown by the Revenue Accounts to be as follows—

Dwellings—£s.d.
Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890Surplus7,562162
Improvement ActaSurplus3,093189
Surplus on dwellings10,6561411
Estates in Course op Development Deficiency£4,322 14 -
Less—In respect of the utilisation of the Acquisition of Lands Fund963 6 -3,3598_
Net surplus on all dwellings and estates7,297611

Summary of
results of
year.
For the year 1911-12 there was a net surplus on all dwellings and estates of £3,383 8s. 7d.,
made up of a surplus on dwellings of £8,332 15s., and a deficiency on estates in course of development
of £4,949 6s. 5d. It will be seen that the suiplus in 1912-13 is due, to the extent of £963 6s., to
the application of the credit arising from the use of the Acquisition of Lands Fund.
Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890.
The Council's operations under the Housing Act comprise (a) dwellings erected under Parts
I. and II. of the Act to provide rehousing accommodation for persons displaced by schemes for the
clearance of insanitary areas, and (b) dwellings erected under Part III. of the Act to provide
accommodation for persons of the working classes, apart from any displacements. Dwellings erected
under Parts I. and II. represent, therefore, compulsory provision for rehousing under statutory
obligations, whereas dwellings under Part III. represent housing accommodation voluntarily provided
by the Council. In certain instances of compulsory rehousing it has been necessary to erect dwellings
on sites, on the working of which, owing to their character or situation, an unfavourable financial
result was anticipated from the first. These cases are separately shown in the accounts.
The account under Part III. is sub-divided to show the results of the dwellings apart
from the debt charges on estates in course of development, which are referred to in a subsequent
paragraph.

The results of the year's working under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, are as Results of follows: — year.

£s.d.
Part I.Surplus5,496115
,, IISurplus421-9
„ III.—DwellingsSurplus1,6454-
Surplus on dwellings7,562162
Part III.—Estates in course of developmentDeficiency3,3598-
Net Surplus for Housing Act4,20382

The surplus on dwellings under Part III. is after allowing for a deficiency of £1,536 5s. Id. in
respect of Carrington House, a lodging-house erected under Part III. but in fulfilment of rehousing
obligations in connection with the Mill-lane, Deptford, scheme under Part II.
The gross rental for the year from dwellings under the Housing Act was £164,663 Is.
Deducting therefrom allowances for empties, caretakers' quarters and amounts irrecoverable, the net
rental amounted to £154,281 12s. 4d., exclusive of £538 4s. 2d. for interest on cash balances. The
amount of rent irrecoverable was £141 18s. Id., or only 0.08 per cent, of the gross rental. The total
loss of income due to " empties " was £9,113 18s. Id., or 5.54 per cent, of the gross rental, as against
8-73 per cent, in 1911-12. Of this loss £5,223 occurred on four estates, viz. : Carrington House (£3,307,
or 43.02 per cent, of gross rental), Preston's-road Estate (£1,130, or 28.35 per cent.), Hughes Fields
Cottages (£499, or 24.32 per cent.), and Hughes Fields Dwellings (£287, or 22.46 per cent.}.
Income.