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HOUSING
Provision of Housing Accommodation
The year 1970 was one of marked progress in the Council's continuing efforts to meet
the overall housing demand in the Borough.
Several factors combined to make this possible, the main one being the provision of
new estates, an addition of 925 dwellings having been constructed during the year. Moreover,
in March the Council reviewed its housing waiting list by circulating all applicants,
with the result that many were found to have moved away or obtained their own accommodation
without having notified the Council. In consequence the number of registered
applicants was reduced from 6,142 at the beginning of March to a total of 4,402 at the end
of the review.
These developments enabled the Council to lower the minimum waiting period for new
housing applicants from twelve to six months before their claims could receive active
consideration. At the same time it proved possible to give additional assistance to some of
the more hard-pressed inner London Boroughs by increasing the agreed quota of Greater
London nominees wishing to be rehoused in Barnet.
By 31st December a total of 1,170 families in all categories had been rehoused, of
which 65 families were decanted from Housing Areas scheduled for redevelopment in the
Council's current programme.
Provision for homeless families evicted from their homes for various reasons remained
a serious problem but the acquisition of a number of houses in different parts of the
Borough as additions to the Council's pool of temporary accommodation under the National
Assistance Act 1948 did contribute to some easement of the problem as a whole. During th
year the Borough Housing Officer rehoused 47 families from the various units of temporary
accommodation into permanent Council dwellings, and, in addition, allocated tenancies
direct to 49 families who had been rendered homeless under Court Orders and who otherwise
would have had to be admitted into welfare accommodation.
In June, The Croft, East Road, Burnt Oak, a new purpose built homeless families
unit providing accommodation for a total of 15 families was brought into use. Situated
within the North Road Housing Area this will replace the now obsolescent Redhill Lodge
scheduled for demolition early next year as part of the same redevelopment scheme.
I am indebted to the Borough Housing Officer for the above details relative to the
progress made during the year in meeting the demand for Council housing accommodation.
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