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(d) Housing Act, 1936—Overcrowding.
The appointed day for Walthamstow with regard to Section 62
of the Act (i.e., the insertion of permitted numbers in rent books)
was January 1st, 1937.
Up to the end of December, 1937, a total of 25,276 dwellings
had been surveyed and permitted numbers to the extent of 12,000
had been issued to applicants.
Overcrowding.—507 enquiry forms were sent out during 1937.
387 cases of overcrowding were investigated by the District
Sanitary Inspectors and/or measurers during the year 1937.
These investigations showed that 237 of these 387 oases were
still over-crowded and that the remaining 150 cases had been abated
either by removal of tenants, death or marriage.
During 1937, 165 new cases of overcrowding were discovered
and these 131 were added to the schedule of overcrowded oases for
re-housing.
Of the remainder, 22 cases were abated by correspondence by the
Chief Sanitary Inspector and 12 cases were reported to the Town
Clerk for legal action, following failure by the responsible persons
to abate the overcrowding.
The 131 additional cases of overcrowding referred to in the
foregoing may be subdivided as followsi:—
104 tenants overcrowded,
26 sub-tenants overcrowded, and
1 owner-occupier overcrowded.
Many difficulties have become apparent in the administration of
the overcrowding provisions of the Act, and a great deal of extra
work has been entailed over and above the routine work involved in
measurements for permitted numbers. Not the least has been the
frequent and repeated alterations in the housing circumstances of
the overcrowded cases necessitating the closest co-operation
between the Public Health and Housing Departments. In particular,
the Housing Manager reports to the Public Health Department
in advance each batch of overcrowded cases intended to be
re-housed. The particulars are checked up by the special staff, and
copies of Form B and full information as to the occupants of the
overcrowded dwelling are sent to the Housing Manager as soon as
possible. In many cases the circumstances have so altered since the
original survey that the overcrowding has become abated, and these
cases are then deleted from the schedule of overcrowded cases.
Where an offence under the Act has been committed the appropriate
action has been taken.