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5. It will be seen that over the last five years, the average excess of
new cases over those abated otherwise than being rehoused by the Council
is 23. It is felt that there are no reasons for these averages being very
different in the coming years and that there will therefore be a continuing
demand of this order. In addition, the present number of 80 cases has to
be dealt with. For these families to be rehoused in, say, 5 years will need
39 houses for each of the next five years (a total of 195), and then a lower
requirement of 23 houses for each year afterwards.
C. Families Living in Overcrowded Conditions.
1. Although overcrowding of houses has for long been classed as one
of the sanitary nuisances, it was not until the Housing Act of 1935 that the
great drive to abate overcrowding was taken.
2. There were two standards of crowding. The first was if two persons of
10 years of age or more of opposite sexes and not being persons living together
as husband and wife had to sleep in the same room. The other was the
number of units permitted in certain rooms, the adult being classed as one
unit, the child of 1 to 10 years as a half-unit, and the child of under one year
not at all. Rooms under 50 sq. ft., bathrooms and sculleries, were not included
in the available accommodation. The number permitted to occupy
two rooms is 3 units ; three rooms 5 units ; four rooms 7½ units, and five rooms
10 units.
3. It was an offence if, after the appointed day, the occupier or landlord
of a dwelling house allowed it to become overcrowded. There was, however,
no offence if the overcrowding had arisen amongst persons living in the house
at the appointed day unless suitable alternative accommodation had been
offered and had been refused.
4. The standard of the Housing Act was fixed because of the serious
position of crowding in many parts of the country. For such an area as
this, therefore, it was low and more especially when many of the units of the
family are made up of a number of half-units, because of children in the
house, very many could occupy accommodation without that being statutorily
overcrowded.
5. The first survey to determine the extent of overcrowding carried out
in 1936 showed that 187 families were occupying overcrowded accommodation.
By 1940 the figure had fallen to 19 ; it rose to 65 by 1945. In 1946 486 new
cases were added to the register, and in each of the next two years the numbers
added were greater than the numbers in which overcrowding was abated.
1949 saw a marked improvement in the position as the numbers of new cases
were far exceeded by the numbers which had been abated, 178 cases being
brought to light but overcrowding having been abated in 423. The number of
known cases at the end of 1949 was 383. There was a fall again in 1950, the
number at the end of the year being 338, because although 141 new cases
became known, overcrowding was abated in 186. The position up to the
end of October of this year shows a further improvement as against the 80
new cases, 125 have been lost, so that the number of families known to be
in overcrowded accommodation is 293. Although no survey has taken place
since 1937, it is felt that most of the overcrowded families in this district
are known as so many families have stressed this factor in support of their
application for a Council house.
6. New overcrowding is brought about in a number of ways. Often
it is by the natural growth of the family, or it may be by the ageing of children
who, on reaching the age of 10, rank as whole instead of half-units. Many
cases result from the marriage of a son or daughter of the tenant and then