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12
As many years must elapse before the fulfilment of plans which
may be made for future redevelopment of the Borough and for the
clearance of slum houses, it is inevitable that a substantial proportion of
the thousand or more houses which, as a result of the preliminary survey
referred to earlier, were provisionally classified as unfit for habitation,
will have to be retained and maintained for housing purposes for many
years to come. The Health Committee will, therefore, be faced for an
indefinite period with the problem of enforcing essential repairs to insanitary
properties.
The problem of maintaining existing houses in a habitable state is
likely to become progressively more difficult, and this, coupled with a
resumption of statutory duties, in relation to district inspection under
section 5 of the Act, will result in an increase in the number of
" problem " cases where, despite statutory action, it is not possible to
bring about any improvements in the insanitary conditions in which the
occupants are living. When this stage has been reached the Council
will be faced with the problem of demolishing or closing the houses and
re-housing the occupants, or alternatively, with the problem of incurring
expenditure in repairing and/or acquiring them with little, if any, hope
of recovering in full the cost involved. The implications—financial,
administrative and technical—of either course are very great.
Details of inspections and notices served under the Housing and
Public Health Acts and relevant legislation are set out in the statistical
section of the report. Information under this heading also includes
the number of houses classified as a result of inspections under the
Housing Consolidated Regulations, 1925/32, details of improvements
effected to dwelling-houses as a result of informal and statutory action
(including the institution of legal proceedings), and records.
Rodent Control.
The Chief Sanitary Inspector is the Council's representative on
No. 8 Workable Area Committee set up by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food for rodent control. This Committee comprises representatives
of 11 neighbouring local authorities, and meets about three
times per year. The Ministry places great value on the results achieved
by Workable Area Committees, especially in dealing with such problems
as simultaneous treatment of interconnected sewers which are the
responsibility of adjacent authorities. The benefit of co-operation thus
built up between neighbouring authorities has proved very useful.
The Council's sewers were disinfested in August and December,
1955. Each treatment was of four to five weeks' duration, involving
over 1,000 manholes, which were baited on three successive days. The
staff required for sewer treatments comprises four employees of the
Borough Engineer's Department (two sewermen and two labourers) and
two rodent operatives. During these periods the remaining rodent
operative endeavours to deal with complaints and other essential duties
in the Public Health Department.
Poisoned baiting of sewers is not expected to eliminate sewer rats
completely, for the impossibility of bringing all rats to feed at available
baiting points is evident. The primary need is, therefore, to take all
possible steps to prevent migration of rats from defective sewers and
drains to adjoining buildings. All infestations are carefully investigated