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18
SECTION D.
HOUSING.
The responsibility of the Local Authority is not only one
of re-housing, but also of seeing that private dwellings are kept
in a reasonable state of repair, and, where necessary, of enforcing
statutory action where nuisances or defects exist. The latter
duty is placed upon the Health Department, and to-day is one
of complexity, in that during the war years repairs were naturally
held in abeyance. The post-war years, with shortage of
labour and materials, are still difficult. It has not been practicable
to carry out house-to-house district inspection, which was a
routine in pre-war years. I have extracted the following statement
from the Appendix, which gives details of the work carried
out during 1948 :
Number of premises inspected 979
Number of visits in connection therewith 2,386
Number of premises where defects found 419
Number of premises rendered fit as result of
informal action 358
Number of premises rendered fit as result of
formal action 25
Overcrowding.
The abatement of overcrowding has not been possible owing
to the general housing shortage which is common throughout the
country, and in spite of all that Orpington has done in the matter
of re-housing, many families are still without separate accommodation.
The sharing of houses built for only one family brings
with it social evils that affect the well-being of the inhabitants.
The sharing of kitchens is not conducive to good-fellowship of
the occupants, and this in turn leads to social insecurity.
Re-Housing.
The post-war re-housing by Orpington Council has placed
them high on the list of efficient authorities, and the following
statistics give a clear picture of the progress that has been made
by the Authority. I am grateful to the Valuation and Estates
Officer for these details.