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further Circular on the simplification of administrative procedure
concurrently with a request that local authorities review their
progress in this field and report on their proposals for the period
1962-1966. The revised procedure enables the Council to dispense
with the submission of detailed schedules of estimated and final
costs so far as private property is concerned. This information
continues to be required by the Minister in respect of local
authority dwellings. With the advent of the new arrangements
there were no staffing or financial difficulties to prevent
acceleration of the Smoke Control Programme, and the advancement
of the target date for completion. However, any increased rate
of progress would also necessitate a greater turnover in the work
carried out by private builders and contractors. Many of the local
builders are very busy and delays in conversion often occur. Any
further acceleration of this work would have aggravated this delay.
The estimated number of premises to be brought under Smoke
Control for the five-year period 1959-1963 has already been exceeded.
If the present annual average rate of 4,000 premises is maintained
the programme should be completed by 1968. The original target
date was 1972.
In the light of the Minister's suggestion that sampling or
other methods alternative to full-scale survey prior to the establishment
of a Smoke Control Area might form a reliable basis upon which
to obtain an appreciation of the situation, and an estimate of the
present and future fuel consumption, the Council decided to carry
out a pilot scheme by postal survey. By this means the householder
is requested to complete a simple questionnaire relating to the
present appliances in his property and the amount and type of fuel
he uses. The pilot scheme was successful and reduced appreciably
the number of visits made by the Public Health Inspectors. It is
anticipated that postal surveys will be used extensively in new Areas.
The Minister also issued a list of revised principles applicable
to the payment of grant. The Council's policy accords with these
revised principles.
HARDSHIP CASES
The Clean Air Act gives the Council discretion to pay greater
than a 7/10ths grant where it considers this to be reasonable, to
cover cases of financial hardship. The Council decided to pay the
whole cost of reasonable works of conversion in the case of applications
from owner/occupiers who are retirement pensioners and who are
also receiving National Assistance, and four such payments were made
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