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rooms, of which the most usual is the dark and badly ventilated ground floor back room of
the two storey cottage; such rooms are usually the principal living rooms of the houses.
Water supplies are frequently inadequate, particularly in the houses in multiple occupation;
it is difficult for the tenant of top floor rooms to traverse three or four flights of stairs in
order to obtain water from a tap in the basement scullery or even in the yard. Sanitary
accommodation is nearly always externally situated, sometimes a considerable distance
from the house. Food storage facilities are nearly always inadequate and a properly
ventilated food cupboard is rare in the type of house which is included in clearance areas.
By far the most variable factor is disrepair. In some houses this is so extensive as to render
the house un-inhabitable whilst in other properties of identical type much time, money and
effort have been expended, commonly by the tenant, in order to make the best of his
indifferent accommodation.
Summary of action taken—Since the resumption of slum clearance after the end of the
war 426 areas containing 16,882 houses unfit for human habitation have been represented
to the Council.
In 111 areas, comprising 1,557 houses, no objections were made to the Council's proposals
and the Orders were confirmed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government.
In 203 areas containing 11,958 houses the Council's Orders were confirmed, in some
instances with very minor modifications, after the holding of Public Local Inquiries.
In two areas comprising 10 houses the Minister of Housing and Local Government
was not satisfied that demolition was the best method of dealing with conditions; although
he accepted that the houses were properly designated unfit for human habitation.
In six areas, made up of 76 houses, the Minister decided that clearance orders should
have been made instead of the compulsory purchase orders submitted to him for confirmation.
In these cases the Minister invited the Council to submit Orders under section 50
of the Housing Act, 1957.
At the end of the year the Minister's decision in respect of the remaining areas was
awaited.

Present problems—Without question a great deal of progress has been achieved towards
the abolition of the unhealthy area in the county and it is true to say that nearly all the
large aggregations of unfit houses have now been cleared; there are no longer any back-toback
houses in existence although there are many dwellings which are deficient in through
ventilation.
As is frequently the case, however, new problems are presenting themselves.
(a) The block tenement dwelling—Block tenement dwellings exist in large numbers and,
indeed, some of them were built by the social reformers of 90/100 years ago; they were
strongly built and structurally they shew little defect. Some of the better types are capable
of improvement and conversion with the aid of a grant but many of the smaller blocks
which stand on very restricted sites cannot be brought up to modern standards.
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