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The Council is under obligation, upon application made by either landlord or
occupier, to give in writing the permitted number of persons in respect of any
dwelling, and measurements were taken of dwellings on 126 occasions. In all, 261
families were found to be living in overcrowded conditions, mainly due to recently
married couples being low on the Housing List and having to seek accommodation
with their own or other families. Overcrowding reports were made to the
London County Council on behalf of these persons, and in 87 such cases alternative
accommodation was obtained.
At the end of the year only 14 families were still in occupation of huts on
vacated Army sites, which they had occupied as squatters. This accommodation
is unsatisfactory in spite of works carried out, and as each hut becomes empty it
is rendered uninhabitable.
Demolition and Closing Orders. Demolition Orders were made in respect
of the following unfit houses:—
1, Oak Street 57, John Wilson Street
6, Oak Street 106, Ann Street.
The Council made a Closing Order in respect of part of the dwelling house,
37, Escreet Grove.
New Houses. The number of certificates issued in respect of new dwelling
houses as having a proper and sufficient supply of water was 642.
Building Licences. During the year, 2,221 applications for building licences
were received by the Borough Engineer and licences were issued in respect of 1,848
of these applications.
Burial or Cremation of the Dead. Under Section 50 of the National
Assistance Act, 1948, it is the duty of the Council as sanitary authority to arrange
for the burial or cremation of any person who has died, or been found dead, in their
area, where it appears to the Council that no other suitable arrangements have
been or are being made. This duty was previously exercisable by the London
County Council. Expenses incurred in such burial may be recovered from the
estate of the deceased person or from a " liable relative."
During the year 1949, the Council arranged for the burial of 10 persons, in each
case there being no known relatives of the deceased or the relatives being unable
to defray the private funeral costs. The total expenses in respect of the cases
amounted to £77.
Certain cases dying in hospitals in the Borough are now being buried by the
Regional Hospital Board, although where it is possible to recover from a " liable
relative," the Council will make the necessary arrangements, as recovery of the
costs of such burial from the estate or relatives of the deceased persons under Section
50 of the Act is administered by the local authority.
On the 5th July, 1949, a local authority became eligible to receive payment
in cases where they have arranged for burial or cremation in respect of any person
to whom a death grant under the National Insurance Scheme could be, but has not
already been paid. The maximum amount payable in respect of a local authority
is three-fifths of the death grant which would be payable in respect of the death
of the person concerned. However, men who were over the age of 65 and women
who were over the age of 60 on the 5th July, 1948, are excluded from death grant
provisions, which limits seriously at present the application of this provision.
No such claims were made by the Council during the year.
Laboratory Facilities. During 1949, certain pathological and allied work
of the Council, i.e., examinations of swimming bath water, samples of food in
suspected food poisoning cases, and ice cream tests, examination of which had
previously been carried out by the pathological department of the Woolwich
Memorial Hospital, was transferred to the Camberwell Laboratory of the Public
Health Laboratory Service.
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