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42
at the abatement of overcrowding. Nevertheless, it was becoming
apparent that the provision of houses for quite a substantial section of
the community would have to be the responsibility of local authorities
rather than private enterprise. The second world war added to housing
difficulties in just the same way as had the first war, with the added
factor of the large number of houses which were destroyed by enemy
action. The post-war period, then, found almost every section of the
community looking to the local housing authority to find them accommodation,
a very changed outlook from the time when it was only a limited
section which would consider living in Council houses.
The number of houses in the ownership of the Harrow Council at the
outbreak of the war was some 2,000. Most of these had been erected by
one of the three constituent authorities before amalgamation. The
housing programme of the Harrow Council was of quite modest dimensions
designed to meet the needs of a limited section of the community. The
needs of the rest, private enterprise was meeting, especially at the time
of the construction of much new property which had been such a feature
in this district.
Shortage of materials, especially of certain items, and shortage of
labour make the number of houses being built fall short of requirements
both nationally and locally. The building programme has, therefore, had
to be curtailed, while there are, too, the regulations controlling the proportion
of building by private enterprise and by municipal authorities.
Last year 882 houses were built in Harrow. Of these 365 were erected
by the Council and 87 by private enterprise, and 112 replaced houses
demolished as the result of enemy action. In addition there were 318
houses put up by the London County Council in their Headstone Lane
estate.
Since the end of the war, the total number of new houses built in
the district is 2,541. Of these, 835 are Council houses (635 permanent and
200 temporary), 330 were put up by independent builders, and 1,098 (1,026
permanent and 72 temporary) are part of the London County Council
Headstone estate.
It was calculated that the land available in this district would be
sufficient to enable the Council to build after the war only 2,175 houses;
of these the number available after October 1st, 1948, would be 1,438.
On the other hand the number of housing applications received by September
30th, 1948, was 6,327. The allocation of the 2,175 houses was
decided as: one-bedroomed, available for man and wife, 196, a percentage
of nine; two-bedroomed, available for man, wife and one child, 676, or
31 per cent; three-bedroomed, available for man, wife and two or
three children, 1,205, or 55 per cent.; and four-bedroomed, available for
man, wife, and four or more children, 98, or 5 per cent.
Allocation of Houses.
Local Authorities have available for letting their pre-war accommodation,
houses or flats in requisitioned properties, and the post-war
accommodation, temporary and permanent. With the number of applicants
for Council houses being out of all proportion to the accommodation
available, most local authorities determined the selection of those to
whom houses were to be allocated by some system of points. In this