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In June, the owner of one dwelling, upon whom had been served an immediate improvement notice
requiring the improvement dwelling to the full standard, successfully appealed at the County Court against
the notice. The house was leasehold and the tenant paid a controlled rent, and in addition to the improvement
works, repairs to a total cost exceeding £200 were necessary. A repairs notice under Section 9 of
the Housing Act 1957 was subsequently served on the house, and by the end of the year the owner had
completed all the repair works.
It was also stated in the Annual Report for 1965 that the Council had successfully negotiated for
the purchase of a house in the road and by the end of this year plans for the conversion of the house into
two fully self-contained dwellings had been approved by the Ministry for discretionary grants and the
works were well in hand. The house should be open for public inspection early in the New Year.
Arnold Road Improvement Area
This area, compri sing 106 houses and approximately 138 dwel I ings, was declared to be an Improvement
Area by the Council on the 9th May 1966.
Approximately 78of these dwellings are tenanted and can be improved - 56 to the full standard and
22 to the reduced standard. Bytheend of the year 12 preliminary notices had been served setting out the
Council's proposals and progressive steps are scheduled for dealing with the remainder of the area.
Improvement of Houses not in an Improvement Area
The number of tenants who have approached the Council asking them to use the powers given them
under the Housing Act 1964 to require the owner to improve their dwellings continued to be very
disappointing. In 1965 only three cases were reported and by the end of 1966 two of these dwellings
had been fully improved and steps to improve the third dwelling to the reduced standard were well
advanced.
During the year three further requests were received. One of these was from a tenant in a block of
flats comprising some 65 separate dwell ings. Special provisions are included in the Act for dealing with
flats. In this case the owners proved fully co-operative and steps have already been taken to improve
some of the flats; negotiations regarding the remainder are continuing.
In another case negotiations with the owner have reached an advanced stage; in the third case the
possibility of the Council acquiring the property is being pursued because it is included in an area which
the Council may deal with as a clearance area within the next fifteen years.
Advice has been given informally in some further twenty cases both to owners and tenants.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
Multiple occupation continues to present many problems but, because of the shortage of staff, work
had to be limited mainly to the investigation of new cases coming to light as a result of reports from
various sources, the continued supervision of those houses already known to the Department and the
inspection of houses in multiple occupation where house purchase loan applications were received by
the Council. House to house inspections have had to be limited for the time being. During 1966, 466
houses have been completely inspected and of this number only 42 were found to be satisfactory.
Details of the action taken is shown in the table which follows:-
Return for 1966
Number of houses completely inspected *466 representing approximately 1,860 lettings
Number of houses found satisfactory 42
Number of houses where informal notices
relative to S15/S16 sent 294
Number of houses where discussions
are in progress 29
Number of houses where Fire Prevention
Officer's recommendation or
specification of work prepared by
Health Department sent 13
(*Note:-Includes 101 houses in multiple occupation where house purchase advances were contemplated.)
30