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68
HOUSING.
In the earlier part of this report some reference was made to the subject of
housing in the Borough, and in this portion all that is attempted is to provide the
particulars asked for by the Ministry of Health in the memorandum as to the
contents of reports of medical officers of health.
I.—General Housing Conditions.
(1) Number of houses, including divided houses and flats, 18,274.
Number of houses for the working classes : If each tenement or part
of a house let as a separate dwelling be reckoned as a separate dwelling house,
there are probably about 8,131.
New houses for the working classes erected during the year or in
course of erection. 180 Flats.
(2) Population (estimated), 106,100. This is almost certainly an underestimate
and the actual figure is probably nearer 120,000.
Important changes during the year or anticipated in the future. None.
(3) (a) Extent of shortage or excess of houses, and
(b) Measures taken or contemplated to meet any shortage.
Writing in 1919,. in the last Survey Report, I showed that the very marked
shortage of houses in London was shared by St. Marylebone. I indicated also
that there had for many years been a shortage, that this had been met by dividing
the existing houses in certain districts into two or more tenements, and that
though this may have given more dwellings it had led to considerable overcrowding
in various parts not only of houses, but of space. Attempting to put this into
figures, I stated that in the tenement house districts the number of tenements containing
at least one more person than the standard of two per room was 1,894.
That there has been any measurable progress in the direction of meeting the shortage
I do not believe. Conceivably there may be more dwellings, since the proportion
of houses subdivided to accommodate two or more families has increased,
more and more individuals finding it impossible, for one reason or another, to
retain a whole house for their separate occupation, but at the same time there has
been an increase in population from 97,953 in 1919 to 106,100 (both estimates).
More important still, there has been an increase in the numbers requiring separate
dwellings. To meet neither of these increases has anything been done locally.
The provision made by the London County Council may have helped, but could
only have done so in a very minor degree. So far as the Borough Council is
concerned, their activities in connection with the housing scheme on the Fisherton
Street, referred to later, since it involved clearance must have made matters worse.
The only conclusion possible is, and this is borne out by experience, that accommodation
has been found by further subdivision of existing houses. That this has
objections from points of view other than the sanitary is well recognised. So far
as the sanitary aspect is concerned, subdivision means that most of the conveniences—water-closets,
etc.—have to be used in common and suffer not only as a
result of over use, but from mis-use and neglect. The houses themselves are
also to a large extent misused by the tenants and are neglected by the landlords
or owners, though this is perhaps less the case now than formerly, many leases
in the Lisson Grove area particularly having reverted to the freeholders, who try
as far as possible to see that the best is done with a view to keeping the premises
in a reasonably fit state of repair.
The intention of subdivision being to reduce overcrowding, its effect, in
reality is to increase it, since though it may mean that the number of individuals
per room is lessened, the number of rooms occupied continuously and used for all
purposes is greatly increased. This point was very definitely proved during the
course of an enquiry carried out during the year in one of the most notoriously
overcrowded parts of the Borough. Here it was shown that though practically