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2
SECTION A
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
1. General Statistics.
Area in Acres 1,390
Total Population (including Service
personnel) 39,070
Number of inhabited houses (approx,) 11,669
Rateable Value - General Rate £590,1?1
Sum represented by Penny Rate £ 2,410
The total number of hereditaments is 14,131 of which
80% are domestic dwellings providing 51% of the gross Rateable
Value of the tore. The largest proportion of houses and flats
fall within the £20-£30 Rateable Value group i..e. 41%., 31%
have a Rateable Value less than £20, and 28% a Rateable Value
above £30.
There are 2.29k commercial premises in the town being
16# of the total hereditaments and providing 30% of the gross
Rateable Value.
The remaining premises totalling 533 are classified
as industrial, entertainment, public utility, educational and
miscellaneous. These provide 4# of the total and produce 19#
of the total Rateable Value •
Acknowledgment is due to Alderman McDonald, Chairman
of the Finance Committee and Mr. A.R. Norris, F .I M .T .A.
Borough Treasurer, for the above information which has been
obtained from the Abstract of Accounts for the year ended
31st March 1955.
2. Social Conditions.
The town of Kingston-upon-Thames is a compact
commercial community bounded on the west by the River Thames,
on the north by Richmond Park and adjacent at the south-west
to Hampton Court Park with only the river intervening.
Although not within the London postal region Kingston
is in the Metropolitan Police Area, and together with the
remainder of metropolitan Surrey can be considered to be a
part of the outer London conurbation. The town is, however,
geographically isolated from greater Loaded by an expansive
green belt of park and common, through which the routes from
the metropolis run.
Kingston is the major market town for a considerable
radius, and although the shopping centre provides the main
economic function there is also an important industrial
activity mainly in Aircraft and Engineering, Some 40,000
persons live in the Borough, many of whom travel daily to
London for business purposes.
An outstanding factor influencing the social conditions
is the fact of full employment and Mr. P.R. Smithp
the Manager of the local Employment Exchange has kindly
provided the following information regarding employment in
Kingston and the surrounding district..
"The employment position in this area is excellent
and was so throughout 1955 At the commencement of
the year 323en and 116 women were unemployed as
compared with 503 men and 217 women at the corresponding
time in 1954. In mid April, when unemployment
reached its highest, 443 men and 122 women
were registered as unemployed but 190 of these were
temporarily stopped as an inanedlate result of the
railway strike. From May onwards there was a gradual