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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The table of inspections carried out by the Public Health Inspectors, Technical
Assistants and other Staff is an indicator only of the volume of work done; by itself it
fails to reflect the real importance of the total effort of the Division.
Food premises and food handling methods, are never wholly satisfactory in any
district; many premises are well equipped and suitable for their purpose, but the quality
of staff varies very much and it is important always that management should set high
standards in food handling practices at manufacturing, wholesale and retail outlets.
Where short-comings are detected or brought to notice, every effort is made by giving
information and advice to educate employees in the need to practise proper techniques
and good housekeeping methods. Because of frequent changes of staff in the food
trades this calls for a continuing effort and like "mothers work", is never done.
There is little property in the Borough so seriously defective as to be unfit for
human habitation, nevertheless individual houses or small groups of houses call for
action, either to secure their repair or to demolish them, or close them until they are
repaired, provided with amenities, and restored to an acceptable standard. With this
object in view every encouragement is given to owners to avail themselves of the
Improvement Grant Provisions of the Housing Act 1969. This policy, which restores a
dwelling to the total housing resources of the locality and at the same time obviates
the risk of a local eyesore being created by a building otherwise left derelict, has
been followed with a good measure of success.
A reduction of smoke in the atmosphere has created a number of benefits and I
think it is worthwhile to quote an extract from the summary of a report prepared by the
Research and Intelligence Unit of the Department of Planning and Transportation of the
Greater London Council, namely: —
"The dramatic reductions in air pollution have had a number of beneficial results
for the people of London. These include reductions in mortality and hospital
admissions associated with air pollution, and a reduction in the response of
bronchitics to air pollution as periods of high pollution have become less
frequent. The amount of winter sunshine has increased both in central and suburban
London, while the frequency of fog appears to have decreased in step with the
progress in smoke control orders. Increases in sunshine and decreases in fog have
led to a very large increase in visibility. It is possible that the substantial
reduction in smoke concentration has led to a change in the local meteorology of
London. The removal of the smoke "blanket" over London is allowing more sunshine
to penetrate to ground level and this is leading to the more effective breaking up of
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