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THE MAYOR. ALDERMAN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE LONDON BOROUGH OF WALTHAM
FOREST
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to present my report for the year 1966 - a year of shaking down after
the turmoil of reorganisation in 1965.
The concept that the Health and Welfare Committee is a forum for kind hearted people to
talk over the troubles of children and old folk is of course true but almost trivial. This Committee
in fact manages a big business, spending more than any other committee after Education; it has a
very varied and a large number of skilled specialist staff and buildings under its control; it is
engaged in imaginative and exciting planning of buildings and services of great consequence to
the future life of the Borough. Moreover, members of the Committee may agree with my impression
that their specialist understanding is being appreciated more and more as an essential contribution
to the understanding of the Council as a whole of many other fields to which other members
contribute their specialist viewpoints in turn.
In the early days of the new Borough the daily demands of the service inevitably filled
our thinking, but gradually it became possible to see in wider perspective how the social services
fit into the overall activity of the Council. Not only so, but a much clearer picture emerged of
how the activity of the Council fits into the overall life of the Borough.
As regards the first - Health and Welfare as an integral part of Council functioning - the
need for and happy experience of close co-operation with other departments was a real feature of
the year.
The thorny problem of homeless families gave us no rest and underlined how closely we
must work with the Housing and Children's departments and many outside agencies.
Slum clearance has traditional links with house building and all the departments of the
Borough connected with this, but during the year the "Population and Housing" report prepared
by the Planning Officer, in consultation with other departments, lifted the horizon further than
was at first perceived. The need of the future is now seen for Health and Welfare to work closely
with Planning, Housing, Education and others in the evolution of gracious urban living, with
provision for groups of the population with special needs integrated into it in the proportion
appropriate to modern concepts of civilization. It is an inspiring challenge to our ability to cooperate.
And this is not only co-operation between Council departments, it is also between the
Council and the community.
In retrospect it now seems only to have been expected that an untried new powerful
authority should have made many voluntary groups anxious as to their future position.
It will, I think, be agreed that it is in the nature of developing civilization that from
time to time public opinion should feel that some social service function inspired and pioneered
by volunteers should be given over to full time paid personnel. Many who have built a purpose in
life through a voluntary organisation may see this as a threat, fearing that someone will feel they
are ripe for take-over.
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