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The Health Department supplies the Borough Valuer with any known history
of a property and any other information which may assist in the valuation. Where
claims of overcrowding are made in support of an application for mortgage these
claims are investigated by the Department.
Owners of dwelling houses may obtain a loan and/or grant from the local
authority towards the cost of works of alteration or improvement but such loans or
grants are at the discretion of the local authority.
The House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959 and The Housing (Financial
Provisions) Act, 1958, supplement the previous grant provisions and enable local
authorities to make advances for house purchase up to the full value of the property.
The Housing Act, 1969, makes further provision for the improvement of houses
and makes available grants for the environmental treatment of general improvement
areas. Improvement grants, formerly known as discretionary grants, are increased
substantially to a maximum grant of £1,000 per dwelling, and include works of repair
necessary to ensure the life of the property. In the case of the conversion of three
storey dwellings, the maximum grant is £1,200 per dwelling.
Financial limits for standard grants are increased and the standard amenities
are amended. A food store is no longer required but the provision of a sink with
hot and cold water has been added. Provision is made for including a piped main
water supply to a house where one did not previously exist.
The Council provides these grants for the improvement of dwellings and during
the year 221 houses were improved, 208 of these receiving Standard Grants. All the
Standard Grants were for the full standard amenities.
Powers are provided in the Housing Act, 1964, for local authorities to declare
suitable areas as Improvement Areas. In such areas the Council may require the
owners of tenanted properties to provide the five standard amenities and the opportunity
can be taken to improve the general environment of the area. It is hoped that
this will encourage all householders in the area to make other improvements to their
properties resulting in a general improvement in the appearance of the area. The
properties in the areas selected are usually structurally sound houses which lack one
or more of the standard amenities and which have a minimum life of fifteen years,
but usually considerably longer.
Many of the houses in Improvement Areas are owner occupied but no provision
is made in the Act for enforcing the improvement of such properties. Every effort is
made to persuade those owners who have not already provided a bathroom to do so.
Elderly tenants are often reluctant to suffer inconvenience involved in installing a
bathroom but the advantages of an inside water closet and a bathroom with hot
water are very important to the elderly. When they are not willing to have the work
carried out a Suspended Notice is served. Whatever the circumstances considerable
time has to be spent discussing the proposals with householders, public relations
being a very important part of this work. Nevertheless, although the procedures are
very time consuming the results can give considerable satisfaction to all concerned.
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