London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Harrow 1970
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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117
The date of operation of a further Order (No. 21) was postponed from
1st November 1970 until 1st July, 1971, following a recommendation of
the London Boroughs Association made after an investigation into the
availability of solid smokeless fuel had found that demand was likely to
exceed the supply. The suspension of Smoke Control Orders Nos. 1-8
from 1st November to 31st March 1971 was also necessary to meet the
terms of this recommendation.
Three Orders confirmed by the Minister affecting 9,096 dwellings
which will become operative in 1971 will raise the percentage to approximately
64.
During the year 3,595 visits were made by the staff engaged on the
survey and inspection of premises. Completed work of adaptation to the
value of £49,096 in some 693 dwellings was inspected and the necessary
certificates were issued to enable the grants to be claimed.
The amount of money spent by householders continued to rise and on
an average the cost of adapting fireplaces was £70. The grant paid averaged
£28 per claim received.
The following figures show the amount of grant paid over the past five years :-
| Amount of grant Paid | No. of claims for grant | Average per claim (to nearest £) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | £20,231 | 1,115 | £18 |
| 1967 | £19,742 | 975 | £20 |
| 1968 | £16,195 | 656 | £24 |
| 1969 | £23,341 | 877 | £27 |
| 1970 | £19,760 | 693 | £28 |
The number and types of premises affected by Smoke Control Orders is as follows:-
| Year | Total No. Premises | Number of dwellings | Number of other premises |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961/66 | 18,029 | 17,301 | 728 |
| 1967 | 4,377 | 3,977 | 400 |
| 1968 | 6,185 | 5,246 | 939 |
| 1969 | 6,130 | 5,831 | 299 |
| 1970 | 2,648 | 2,526 | 122 |
| Total | 37,369 | 34,881 | 2,488 |
The Council's programme to make a series of Smoke Control Orders
until all the premises in the Borough are affected has now reached the half
way stage and it is perhaps an appropriate time to look at costs. A total of
£57,844 has been spent to date by the Council on the twenty operative
orders and £75,679 by the Government on grants to private householders.
Some 31,995 dwellings are affected which gives an average cost of £1.80
per house from local funds and £2.36 from the Exchequer. To this must be
added the cost of adaptations in dwellings owned by the Corporation and