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37
"The obligation of re-housing under the Act of 1935 was of
such a dimension, having regard to vacant building sites available
within the borough boundaries of Walthamstow, that the Council
once again had to review the question of future allotment of Council
houses becoming vacant or newly erected houses available for
letting.
"It may be remembered that in December, 1933, the Council
decided to close the Housing Register, which then contained over
4,000 names of applicants requiring accommodation. No further
applications were therefore accepted.
"In October, 1936, it was further decided that all future lettings
be reserved primarily for the completion of the Council's Slum
Clearance programme, to be followed on completion by any further
lettings being granted solely to abate cases scheduled as overcrowded
by the Medical Officer of Health.
"The Housing Register, therefore, is now superseded by this
schedule, although it may well be that some cases appeared on the
Housing Register as well as the schedule.
"There appears to be little prospect of any subsidy forthcoming
for houses provided in Walthamstow for the relief of overcrowding.
Consequently unless steps are taken to pool all rents of Council
houses and so equalise them in an appropriate manner, there will
also be little prospect of houses being erected to let at rents which
would be within the means of the prospective tenants without creating
hardship and possible malnutrition of the family.
"There appears also to be small prospect of re-housing within
the borough boundaries all the known cases of overcrowding.
"The decision taken by the Council in October, 1936, therefore'
does appear to have been the only possible course that could be
taken. No applications for Council houses can now be entertained.
On the other hand all lettings are made to cases of slum clearance
and overcrowding according to:—
(1) The family being appropriate for the accommodation
available.
(2) Urgency in degree of overcrowding.
"The problem of re-housing the large families is one that
requires to receive its due need of consideration. The average
three-bedroom non-parlour type of Council house is agreed as
being suitable to accommodate five persons and no more. There
are a very large number of families in Walthamstow in excess of
that number and who are at present badly overcrowded and in