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159
large number of persons made inquiries, both written and oral, as to the possibility
of obtaining accommodation, and being informed of the position, did not make
formal applications, which in the circumstances would have been futile. It is undoubtedly
the case also that many persons refrain from making inquiries owing to its
being well known that the Council cannot, in the present circumstances, meet the
requirements of the numerous applicants already registered. It is indicative of the
situation that the number of persons who called at the central office during the year
to apply for houses was over 38,000, an average of 136 a day, while over 51,000
inquiries, an average of 184 a day, were made by letter as to the possibility of obtaining
living accommodation on the Council's estates. These figures represent an increase
of over 6,000 persons calling to make inquiries, and of over 19,000 letters received,
as compared with the numbers for the preceding year (1923-24).
In October, 1924, the Council decided that as an experiment tor one year, a part,
not exceeding 50 per cent, of the new accommodation provided under Part III of
the Housing Act, 1890, should be allocated amongst suitable applicants, recommended
by the several metropolitan borough councils in proportions based upon existing
conditions of overcrowding in such boroughs. To a considerable extent advantage
has been taken of this scheme by the majority of the Borough Councils, and under
this arrangement it has been possible to accommodate about 230 families at
Becontree and Downham. The Borough Council concerned is notified periodically
in all cases in which applicants are accommodated on one of the Council's estates.
Having regard to the large number of applications from persons residing in the
county of London, it has been decided that except in very special cases, all applications
from persons residing outside the county should be held in abeyance.
Allocation of
accommodation
between
residents of
different
boruughs.
The difficulty of obtaining suitable accommodation is most acute in the cases
of persons about to be married, newly-married couples, and persons with families
so small as to render them ineligible for accommodation in dwellings other than those
of the smallest tvnes.
Before the war it was the general practice of the Council, upon the receipt of
satisfactory references, to accept tenants in the order in which their applications were
received. Preference was only given (i.) to persons displaced through the acquisition
by the Council of property for clearance or improvement schemes or other public
purposes, and (ii.) to persons already residing in the county of London. These
preferences still hold good. Since the war the Council has, from time to time, given
temporarily further preferences, other circumstances being equal, to persons who
gave up their homes in order to join H.M. Forces or to undertake work of national
importance, to firemen required to vacate quarters at fire-stations and to certain
other small classes of people.
Method of'
allotting.
In order to make the full use of all available accommodation the Council has
found it necessary to adopt the following general principles : (i.) Applicants are to
be allotted dwellings not larger than are deemed to be sufficient to meet the reasonable
needs of their families, taking into consideration the sex and ages of the children
and the bedroom accommodation required ; (ii.) no person residing alone is to be
accepted as a tenant; and (iii.) not more than two rooms are to be allotted to a
married couple without children or two single women living together. In some cases
the circumstances of the applicants, owing to ill-health, overcrowding, the insanitary
state of their homes or to other conditions, have been such that it has been decided
to grant special preference in exceptionally hard cases of this kind.
In some cases it has been necessary during the year to decline to entertain
applications on the ground that the family income of the applicants was inadequate
to enable them to pay the rents, although these are less than remunerative and involve
heavy expenditure out of public funds. On the other hand some applications have
been declined as it was considered that the financial position of the applicants did
not justify their being accepted as tenants of State Assisted accommodation. Under
the tenancy agreements tenants are not allowed to take lodgers or to sublet.
11908 M