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

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London County Council 1913

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

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Housing Accounts and Statistics.
241
CHAPTER XXXVII.
ACCOUNTS AND STATISTICS.
Working Class Dwellings Accounts, 1919-14—Memorandum by the Comptroller,
(Mr. H. E. Haward).
These accounts are prepared, subject to audit, in advance of the Annual Accounts of the Council
for the year ending 31st March, 1914. 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 following are the results of the year 1913-14, after interest and sinking fund charges have
been met. Details are shown by the Revenue Accounts (pages xlvii. to xlviii.). The results for the
year 1912-13 are also given for the purpose of comparison.
1913-14 1912-13
Dwellings— £ s. d. £ s. d.
Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890 Surplus 14,176 - 5 7,562 16 2
Improvement Acts Surplus 4,133 9 - 3,093 18 9
Surplus on dwellings 18,309 9 5 10,656 14 11
Estates in Course of Development Deficiency £4,292 11 2 4,322 14 -
Less—In respect of the utilisation of the
Acquisition of Lands Fund 1,860 6 3 963 6 -
2,432 4 11 3,359 8 -
Net surplus on all dwellings and estates 15,877 4 6 7,297 6 11
The increase in the surplus as compared with 1912-13 is due chiefly to the additional
cottages on the large estates completed in 1913-14, and to improved lettings generally during the
year, the decrease in the loss due to empty tenements being £4,144. Another cause of the
increased surplus is the change in the method of dealing with the Council's stock debt (referred to in
the memorandum on last year's accounts) which operates to diminish the charges in respect of debt
on this service.
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 aparl
from the debt charges on estates in course of development, which are referred to in a subsequent
paragraph.
Summary of
results of
year.
The results of the year's working under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890 (details Results of
on pages xlvii. and xlviii.), are as follows :— year.
£ s. d.
Part I. Surplus 8,258 16 2
„ II. Surplus 556 8 11
„ III.—Dwellings Surplus 5,360 15 4
Surplus on dwellings 14,176-5
Part III.—Estates in course of development Deficiency 2,432 4 11
Net Surplus for Housing Act 11,743 15 6
The surplus on dwellings under Part III. is after allowing for a deficiency of £1,324 19s. 7d. 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 £170,866 6s. 2d. (page Income,
xlvii.). Deducting therefrom allowances for empties, caretakers' quarters and amounts irrecoverable, the
net rental amounted to £163,801 14s. 5d., exclusive of £764 13s. 1d. for interest on cash balances. The
amount of rent irrecoverable was £149 11s. 7d., or only 0.09 per cent, of the gross rental. The total
23610 II