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2
SECTION A.
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
1. General Statistics.
Area in Acres 1,408
Total Population (including Service personnel) 36,230
Number of inhabited houses (approx.) 11,812
Rateable Value - General Rate (1.4.64) £3,449,834
Sum represented by Penny Rate (year 1964/65) £13,560
Total number of assessments 15,291
" " " domestic dwellings 11,854
" " " shops with dwellings and public houses 343
" " " premises classified as industrial entertainment,
public utility, educational and miscellaneous 574
2. Social Conditions.
Kingston-upon-Thames is a Royal and Ancient Borough situated upon
the south bank of the River Thames, within the County of Surrey and
the Greater London Area.
Although it is renowned as a prosperous market town and for its
extensive shopping centre, which provides the main economic function,
there is also important industrial activity in Aircraft and Engineering.
Kingston is not only a centre for education and recreation, but
is a "commuting" area for business people travelling daily to and from
London.
The social conditions, are influenced by the trend of the high
level of employment which exists in the town and the Manager of the
local Employment Exchange, Mr. E. Morgan, has kindly provided the
following information regarding employment in Kingston and Diatrict:-
"At the end of 1963 there were 509 men and 88 women unemployed,
but after the first quarter of the year these figures decreased and
unemployment during the year was slightly lower than it had been during
1963. In December 1964 there were 442 men and 59 women unemployed, the
total of 501 representing less than 1% of the working population in the
Employment Exchange area. This compared favourably with the national
percentage of 1.6.
During the year there were a number of redundancies in firms in
the area for a variety of reasons, but in every case the workers who
lost their employment were able to find suitable work quite readily,
either by their own efforts or through the Employment Exchange. Whenever
possible such persons were interviewed by Exchange staff at their
places of employment before their notices expired to reduce to a
minimum the risk of unemployment. Employment opportunities in the area
were in fact so plentiful that at the end of 1964 there were 842
vacancies notified as outstanding for men compared with 609 a year
earlier.
There was also a considerable and persistent demand for women.