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housing operations for the periods mentioned, including rehousing in connection
with schemes lor the clearance of unhealthy areas and other public improvements.
The programme of work in hand is very considerable, comprising the erection
of 15,000 additional houses under Part III. of the Housing Act, 1925, apart from the
rehousing required under slum clearance schemes.
Unhealthy
areas.
The Minister of Health is empowered to make contributions from the Exchequer
towards the expenses incurred by local authorities in carrying out improvement
schemes under Part II. of the Housing Act of 1925, such contributions being limited
to one-half of the estimated average annual loss. The Minister has intimated that
he is prepared to consider proposals involving contributions from the Exchequer
amounting to £50,000 a year, and a comprehensive programme of slum clearance
is being carried out by the Council. The schemes now in operation or about to be
commenced are 11 in number, and include 20 separate areas comprising 92½ acres.
The displacement of 25,245 persons of the working classes is involved and rehousing
accommodation for about an equivalent number has to be provided, of whom
18,189 have to be accommodated within the limits of the improvement areas.
Particulars of the schemes are given later.
Clearance
schemes—
Assessment
of compensation.
In assessing compensation in connection with the acquisition of property
required for clearance schemes, difficulty is often experienced because of the doubt
which exists as to the interpretation of section 46 (1) of the Housing Act, 1925.
From this section it is not clear whether compensation should be awarded on the
basis that the cleared site value properly includes the advantages conferred by
section 13 (5) of the London Building Act, 1894 (viz., permission to re-erect a building
on the old foundations), or on the basis that the cleared site value of the land does
not include such advantages. In order that a decision of the High Court might be
obtained as to the proper interpretation of the sub-section referred to, the Council,
on 1st December, 1925, decided to make an application to the High Court to direct
the arbitrator to state a special case on a certain claim. The decision on the test
case is awaited.
Building
grants.
Particulars of the Council's scheme for the administration of the subsidy provisions
of the Housing, etc., Act, 1923, were set out in the Annual Report for 1923
(Vol. I., pp. 132-3). Up to 31st December, 1925, the Council had approved proposals
submitted by private builders for the erection of 1,876 houses to qualify
for subsidy on completion, the number of houses, approved during the year
being 784.
Supply of
labour.
The supply of houses by normal methods of construction since the war has been
restricted owing to the shortage of certain classes of skilled labour in the building
trades. In October, 1924, the Minister of Health set up a committee known as
the Building Industry Committee to advise him in carrying out the scheme embodied
in the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, particularly as regards the development
and co-ordination of the supply of labour for house building. Local Building
Industry Committees have been constituted in each area throughout the country,
the Council being represented on the committee for the London area which functions
within a radius of 15 miles from Charing Cross.
It has been decided to effect the augmentation of the number of operatives
mainly by an apprenticeship scheme, and at the instance of the Minister of Health
the Council has decided to make it a condition of all its future housing contracts
that the contractor shall be required to give effect in the execution of the contract to
such arrangements as to the employment of apprentices as might be made trom
time to time by the Local Building Industry Committee.
New methods
of construction.
The full effect of the apprenticeship scheme cannot be felt for some time to
come, and in the meantime the Council has endeavoured to surmount the difficulties
created by the absence of an adequate supply of labour and materials by the adoption
in certain cases of methods of construction other than that of brick, designed to