London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Wembley 1960
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wembley]
This page requires JavaScript
3. SLUM CLEARANCE. The Health Committee, in 1955,
accepted a list prepared by the Medical Officer of Health under
Section 1 of the Housing Repairs and Rents Act, detailing some 43
properties requiring the attention of the Council, and resolved to deal
with these properties under the live-year plan. Of the 43 houses
originally included, 21 have been demolished, 10 were allowed to
remain standing on an undertaking received from the owners to make
the houses in all respects fit, 3 houses were vacated and the owner
gave to the Council an undertaking not to re-let; 9 houses therefore
remained at the end of the period under review; 6 of these premises
are in the ownership of the County Council who will not re-let once
the premises have become vacated; the 3 remaining houses have
received certain structural attention during the period and remain to
be finally dealt with.
The number of cases of overcrowding known to rhe Health Department has shown a steady decrease as the following figures indicate.
| Year. | Number of Cases of overcrowding on Register. | Total Number of Cases of overcrowding relieved during the year. | Number of Cases of overcrowding relieved during the year by removal to unknown addresses. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 517 | 52 | 9 |
| 1952 | 456 | 102 | 2 |
| 1953 | 424 | 52 | 3 |
| 1954 | 303 | 133 | 95 |
| 1955 | 204 | 108 | 102 |
| 1956 | 169 | 47 | 42 |
| 1957 | 175 | 5 | 3 |
| 1958 | 142 | 43 | 38 |
| 1959 | 148 | 4 | — |
| 1960 | 32 | 130 | 72 |