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113
The tendency of recent years in East Ham has been towards
multiple tenancy of the six-roomed house prevailing in the
Borough, with a consequent loss of large type houses.
In determining the rehousing requirements, regard has been
had for the effect of a theoretical redistribution of houses and
populace, and the resultant calculations reveal a surplus of houses
of small accommodation (185 houses capable of accommodation
up to 6 persons) and a deficiency of houses of large accommodation.
The Council have, therefore, adopted a programme of
constructing 85 x 4 bedroomed houses and 47 x 5 bedroomed
houses to decrowd the 812 families. At the close of the year
tenders were under consideration for 32 houses, or one quarter
of the programme for decrowding purposes.
The solution of the problem of providing rehousing accommodation
of such large dimensions for those of the community
who have the largest families and whose means are so limited, is
difficult to comprehend in the absence of a sufficient subsidy. On
account of the slight extent of slum clearance activity in the
Borough and the financial difficulties inherent in the present slum
clearance programme, little rent relief, if any, will be available
in the case of overcrowded families. The "appointed day" has
been determined by the Minister as 1st July, 1937. It was ascertained
upon re-survey at the close of 1936 of the 812 cases initially
found, 279 houses had become decrowded and 49 had since
the initial survey become overcrowded, leaving the net number
of overcrowding cases 582 at December, 1936. Of the 57 initial
cases of overcrowding in Council houses, 16 had been abated and
5 further houses had become overcrowded by December, 1936.
An additional Sanitary Inspector was appointed in July to
deal especially with the administration of the overcrowding provisions
of the Housing Acts.
(b) Slum Clearance.
The remaining three families from areas included in the
original programme of 1930 were rehoused during the year. A
small supplementary programme of demolition of 92 houses was
adopted by the Council in April, 1936, and at the close of the year
Clearance Orders had been confirmed by the Minister in respect
of 48 houses. The majority of the remaining 'houses' to be dealt