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A child under 12 months of age is not taken into account when
determining the number of persons who may occupy a house, a
child between one and ten years old is only deemed to require
half the space that an adult occupies, all rooms (except the
kitchen) are expected to be available for sleeping purposes and
the definition of sexual overcrowding fails to recognise the
right of husband and wife to occupy the same bedroom.
Improvement Grants.
The increased interest in Improvement Grants mentioned in
my last report continued throughout the year and the number of
applications received, whilst still not large, was much greater
than in any previous year.
Twenty-two applications for Standard Grants were received;
one was subsequently withdrawn and two were refused on account
of the proposals not complying with the statutory conditions.
Nineteen applications for Discretionary Grants were received.
One was withdrawn before it was considered by the Public
Health Committee and one application was refused for reasons
which are set out below: in the other seventeen cases maximum
grants were approved.
In the case which was not granted the applicant had a growing
family and had an urgent need for an additional bedroom,
which formed the basis of his proposals. The Act provides for
grants for the "enlargement " of dwellings and the Clerk and
Solicitor of the Council was satisfied with the legality of the
application. Quite fortuitously, however, and only a matter of
hours before the matter was to be considered by the Public Health
Committee, it was learned that it was now contrary to Ministry
policy to allow this type of improvement for grant and that in
the event of the Council approving the application the usual
re-imbursement by the Ministry of part of the expenses, would
not be forthcoming. When Improvement Grants were first introduced
by the Act of 1949 the Ministry issued Practice Notes which
gave Local Authorities a fairly clear picture of the kind of
improvement which was eligible for grant. These Notes were
withdrawn in 1954 but it appears that a revised set would serve
a useful purpose to Local Authorities and their Officers who are
entrusted with the administration of this scheme.
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