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HARDSHIP CASES
The Clean Air Act gives the Council discretion to pay more
than 7/l0ths 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 nine such
payments were made during the year. In addition, seven payments
were made in respect of retirement pensioners who, although
eligible for National Assistance, had not applied for it.
Two special cases were considered. The applicants were
approaching pensionable age. One was a widow of 59 in straightened
circumstances, and the second was a resident aged 6l who had been
very ill for some time, with a consequent loss of earnings. In
both cases the Council agreed to pay the whole cost of works of
conversion.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Council continued to support the work of the National
Society for Clean Air and the London and Home Counties Clean Air
Advisory Council.
FUEL SUPPUES
The severe winter of 1962/63 brought with it some temporary
fuel supply difficulties. Only one Area, in Eltham, appeared to
be badly affected. Many of the local merchants reported that they
were unable to obtain sufficient supplies of the proprietary or
'premium' fuels. This shortage confirmed the publicity given by
the Council to residents of the inadvisability of relying entirely
upon such fuels with the use of old-fashioned appliances.
The supply of Gas cokes was not entirely satisfactory at one
time during the worst part of the winter. However, the producers
and distributors willingly co-operated with the Council to give
residents in Smoke Control Areas the maximum possible assistance.
With the aid of the Mayor's Christmas Fund for Old People it was
possible to supply old and needy residents with extra smokeless
fuel which they could not otherwise have obtained.
The severity of the winter brought with it national fuel
problems. This prompted Parliamentary questions, and in reply the
Minister of Housing and Local Government reported that in the past
it had been possible to rely upon open-fire coke being available as
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