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Provisions for other changes made desirable by the fuel situation
and requiring legislation are being made in a Housing Bill at present
before Parliament. These include easing the restrictions on grants
towards conversions in dwellings erected after the Act came into force;
provision for Ministry contributions towards discretionary grants made
by local authorities; withholding grant for any class of appliances which
it is considered would strain fuel resources; grants towards provision of
gas and electric pokers where no other works are involved; and power to
approve expenditure retrospectively.
The Borough's fourth Smoke Control Order made under the Clean Air
Act 1956 was confirmed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government
in March and came into operation on .1st October 1963. At the end of
the year the Minister's confirmation of Area No.5 was awaited.
Area No.4 comprises 157 acres with 2,960 dwellings and 269 commercial,
industrial and other premises. A survey of the area revealed that the
number of heating appliances in dwellings which were in regular use and
which required replacement or adaptation, was 800.
There is, in the Public Health Offices, a Smoke Control Exhibition
open to the public in which are displayed various types of approved space
heating and cooking appliances and authorised fuels. Arrangements are
also made with the Solid Smokeless Fuels Federation for their Demonstration
Van to tour each smoke control area for a week immediately prior to the
date when the Order comes into operation.
Facing this page is a map showing the Smoke Control Areas established
in the Borough.
Difficulty in obtaining supplies of solid smokeless fuel or indeed
any smokeless fuel during the severe winter created many problems, in
particular to old people living alone above the first floor of tenement
dwellings. Advantage was taken by some traders of the difficulties of
delivery by selling at exorbitant prices small quantities of fuel in
paper bags. The Council supported a proposition made by a neighbouring
borough council that local authorities should be given powers to establish
small depots from which to sell solid fuel in emergencies and so
obviate the need for consumers having to buy bagged fuel in small quantities
at high prices.
Under the provisions of Section 3(3) of the Clean Air Act 1956,
furnaces may not be installed in buildings unless notice of proposal
to install has been given to the Council. Notices were given to the
Council of proposal to install furnaces in 20 premises.
Measurements of air pollution are taken regularly in the Borough by
means of lead peroxide instruments, which give monthly records of the
concentration of sulphur in the air, and also by combined smoke filters
and volumetric sulphur dioxide apparatus which afford daily readings.
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