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authorities not included were, for the most part, small, and in
terms of population the summary tables cover nearly 99 per cent
of the whole country. These tables disclosed that 8,924,523 dwellings
were inspected, and that 341,554 dwellings were found to be
overcrowded, so that in England and Wales, at the time of the us
vey, 3.8 per cent, of families whose dwellings were inspected were
living in overcrowded conditions. If these figures are compared,
with those which were ascertained as the census, it will be
that the improvement which was observed in the intercensal period
1921-1931 has been continued since.
At the census, the standard of overcrowding was based
upon the density of more than two per room ; the standard at the
survey is higher. But though the figures are encouraging, the
Report shows that the position cannot be accepted with complacency
For instance, in one of the tables, it is shown that there are 4,185.000
families who have more than double the amount of accommodation
required by the overcrowding standard ; which means that
families, constituting over 46 per cent, of all the working class
families in the country, are so well housed that the number of persons
in each family could be doubled and yet overcrowding would
not ensue.
On the other hand, the same table shows that a variation
of the overcrowding standard which reduced the permitted number
for a dwelling by 10 per cent, (it is not suggested that a various
of this precise form is practicable), would increase the number of
families who would be overcrowded by about 380,000. In other
words, 4.4 per cent, of the present uncrowded families are very
near the border-line of overcrowding.
" The ideal standard of housing may perhaps be taken a
the standard outlined in Section 37 of the Housing Act 1930. Thus
is the standard which is applied in certain circumstances to the rehousing
activities of local authorities. It is not a detailed standard
but provides only that a new house containing two bedrooms shall
count as providing accommodation for four individuals, out constraining
three bedrooms for five individuals, and one containing
four bedrooms for seven individuals. The size of the bedrooms
is left unspecified, but since in new houses one of the bedrooms of
least is usually small, the standard may be taken to be equivalent
to two individuals per normal sized bedroom, together with adequate
living accommodation."
If this hypothetical standard were accepted as a basis, the
number of families overcrowded would be raised from 341,554
to 853,119.