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36
Overcrowding.
At the time of the survey carried out early in 1936 under
Section 1 of the Housing Act, 1935, to determine the extent of
overcrowding, it was found that 152 houses were overcrowded.
By December, 1936, this figure had been reduced to 91, 11 families
having been rehoused in council houses and the overcrowding in
47 houses having been abated by removal of the occupants.
By December 31st, 1937, this figure had been still further
reduced to 32, the 62 cases of overcrowding having been abated
by the removal of families to council houses in 9 cases ; by the
transfer into larger council houses in 4, and by the movements of
the occupants in 49.
Of the 35 cases found at the time of the survey not to be
overcrowded, but which, by reason of the ageing of the children
would become overcrowded within two years, 8 were abated by
December 31st, 1936, 4 by the tenants being rehoused in council
houses and 4 by other movements of tenants. This figure was
further reduced during 1937, 5 families being rehoused in council
houses and 11 moving elsewhere. Of those 35 potentially overcrowded,
then, found at the time of the survey, only 11 were, in
fact, overcrowded at December 31st, 1937.
Since the survey, however, a further 53 overcrowded houses
have been discovered in which overcrowding had occurred subsequent
to the survey but before the appointed day. During the
year the overcrowding of 14 of these was abated by rehousing of
the families in council houses and 21 by movements of the occupants
elsewhere, this leaving a net increase of 18 new cases of overcrowding
during the year.
The number of cases of overcrowding at December 31st, 1937,
is, therefore, 61, this figure being made up of 32 families in the
original survey, 11 review cases and 18 new cases. 35 (eight of
which were review or new cases) of these families are to be rehoused
in the Council's four-bedroomed houses and 16 in three-bedroomed
houses. Three of the families occupy houses that are to be dealt
with under slum clearance procedure. Three of the houses are
owner-occupied; in two the overcrowding is due to the presence of
lodgers, in one the crowding is shortly to be abated by the movement
of a member of the family, while the remaining case will be
abated when the occupant moves into the house he is erecting.
By the middle of the year, it is anticipated, practically all the overcrowding
found up to the end of 1937 will have been abated,
though a few further cases will probably be found of families who
moved into the district between the date of the survey and of the
appointed day.
During the year a certificate as to the permitted number of
occupants under Section 6 (2) of the Housing Act, 1935, was given
in respect of 5,400 premises.