London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Harrow 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
This page requires JavaScript
41
The table shows that most of the cases of overcrowding are due to
normal increases in families in rooms or to married children continuing
to live with their parents.
4. The degree of overcrowding, of course, varies. In many cases
it will be of the slightest, but nevertheless sufficient to necessitate the
house being classified as being overcrowded. At the other end of the
scale are many very badly crowded and the table shows that there are
69 families living in accommodation which is crowded by 50 per cent.
more than the permitted number. Apart from the deleterious effects of
living in overcrowded conditions on the physical state of the inmates,
regard must be had to the psychological manifestations which appear in
many. Some of these families are lowly pointed and, therefore, are
unlikely to be rehoused by the Council. Nevertheless, the living conditions
of families are seriously undermining their health and causing
conditions which can be remedied only by the rehousing of some of the
occupants.
The following is a summary of the cases added to the register and/or rehoused during the year:—
| Overcrowded, January 1st, 1948 | 587 | |
| New cases | 275 | |
| Rehoused: | ||
| Council houses | 131 | |
| Requisitioned property | 29 | |
| Other means | 78 | |
| Adjustment for two cases abated by movement of one family | Nil | |
| Overcrowding reduced but not abated | 4 | |
| 238 | 866 | |
| Cases outstanding 31.12.48 | 628 |
Provision of Houses.
Although the first of the Acts which enabled local authorities to
build houses to be occupied by those living in their districts was passed
as far back as 1890, it was not until after the first world war that local
authorities took advantage on any scale of their powers. The housing
situation in many districts had been becoming difficult before 1914.
The position was made more severe for a number of reasons. During the
war years no houses had been erected; the lack of maintenance during
these years resulted in a speedier obsolescence of houses, whilst in addition
building costs rose markedly.
In the 1920's a number of Housing Acts were passed to encourage
the building of new houses, some of these by means of the subsidies
favouring construction by local authorities, others by private enterprise.
The flow of new houses was sufficiently satisfactory that the Housing
Acts of the 1930's aimed not so much at the construction of new houses
as at the prohibition of occupation of those which had had their day and