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37
(v) S. 75-
(a) By owners 16
(b) By local authority in default of owners 2
(c) By occupier Nil
(vi) S. 93—Nuisances abated (10 outstanding from 1955) 46
(vii) Nuisances abated and/or other work carried out by
owners on receipt of informal notice 1,660
SUMMARY PROCEEDINGS
It was necessary on five occasions to apply to the Court for Abatement
Orders; in each case where the work was outstanding at the date of
the Hearing the Orders were granted and costs allowed.
A contravention of Section 13 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938
was also referred to the Magistrates. In this case the occupiers of a
bakehouse after repeated requests failed to maintain the premises and
equipment in a satisfactory state of cleanliness. Fines totalling £105
were imposed. Action under the Food and Drugs Act was also taken
following foreign matter (iron particles) being found in a bottle of milk.
Under the Shops Act 1950, a tobacconist and confectioner was fined for
failing to close his shop at the hour demanded by the law.
During the year an appeal was lodged in Willesden County Court
against a Notice served under Section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936. The
owners of the property concerned were of the opinion that it could not be
repaired at a reasonable cost; the appeal was allowed and costs were
awarded against the Council.
HOUSING
Inspection of Houses
The table on page 34 gives particulars of the inspection of houses in
the district. Although it is the duty'of an authority to cause inspections
to be made with a view to finding those which are dangerous or injurious
to health, this practice has not yet been resumed since the war because of
the volume of work which follows on receipt of complaints from tenants
about the state of the houses they are occupying. So many of these are
found to be incapable of repair at a reasonable cost and have to be
condemned. In each case the Public Health Committee recommends the
rehousing of the occupants usually one family a house but sometimes two,
each of these recommendations being an embarrassment to the Housing
Committee. The claims of each of these families for immediate rehousing
—and the matter is urgent because the houses have been condemned as
being unfit for living in—have to be weighed against those of the many
other applicants. The result is that there is often a very long delay
before the family can be moved into its new house. In the meantime in
most cases not unnaturally nothing is done by the owner to improve the
state of the house. The fact is that although the Council's intervention
will ultimately be to the advantage of the occupants, for a period their
state might even be that much worse by such action having been taken.
To carry out systematic housing inspection will only bring to light many