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Housing Acts
A further milestone in housing legislation was reached during the year when the Housing
Act 1969 received the Royal Assent. Its content was disappointing in some respects as the
Dennington Report (Central Housing Advisory Sub-Committee 'Our Older Homes, a Call for
Action') published earlier suggested that improvement of houses should become compulsory.
To implement the improvement sections local authorities have now to gain the confidence of
house owners by launching schemes based on voluntary co-operation with financial inducements.
The task ahead is to save older houses from deteriorating into such a state that they
have to be demolished and the need to provide families with an improved standard of living
conditions by the provision of baths, hot water, wash hand basins and internal water closets.
To nurture older housing stock is a national economic necessity whilst rising social standards
demand facilities in dwellings denied to the masses of the former generation. The implementation
of these two aims will be carried out by linking repairs with improvement grant work and
the proposed review of the rent structure among the rent controlled tenancies is aimed to
stimulate landlords to action.
Information as to the repair, renovation and improvement necessary to the existing
housing stock can clearly only be gained by accurate assessment of the properties, and so
during the past three years three surveys have been carried out which should prove to be
invaluable for future planning. The first survey was undertaken in 1967 which gave information
based on a 4% sample consisting of 3,529 rateable units, and secondly in 1968 a broad
assessment was attempted to ascertain the problem of multiple occupation of houses and the
extent to which commonwealth immigrants were involved. During the present year a detailed
house to house survey of some 1,500 dwelling units in the Cann Hall Road area was carried
out. A comprehensive report on the findings of Cann Hall Road survey was considered by a
Housing Working Party under the direction of the Town Clerk - a copy of the detailed report
and the report and recommendations on the Working Party is on page 30.
Meanwhile the slum clearance programme has continued. During the year the Minister
of Housing and Local Government confirmed Stage II of the Acacia Road area consisting of 8
clearance areas and added lands sited on 2.95 acres. Stage III of the Cathall Road area
consisting of 6 clearance areas and added lands on 8 acres was officially represented to the
Council and the Public Inquiry was conducted by an Inspector appointed by the Minister of
Housing and Local Government on the 11th November; the result is awaited. An Official
Representation was submitted to the Housing Committee on the 16th September in respect of 6
clearance areas in Sidmouth and Dawlish Roads, E.10.
A report was submitted to the Housing Committee at its meeting on 20th January, 1970
(Minute No.171), setting out a Slum Clearance Programme for 1970/73 as requested by Ministry
of Housing and Local Government Circular No.92/69. A copy of the report on which the
programme was based is attached.
In addition to aggregations of unfit houses which will enable redevelopment to take
place there are a number of unfit properties which remain to be dealt with during the next 5
years by way of small clearance areas under Part III, or by individual demolition closing order
procedure under Part II of the Housing Act, 1957. As, however, the powers under Part II are
essentially provisions for securing the repair/improvement of unfit housing, it is only when
the house is considered not capable at reasonable expense of being rendered fit for habitation,
that the question of demolition or closing order procedure is applicable. Reasonable expense
is basically a question of economics influenced by income derived from the rent which varies
according to the type of tenancy. A house may prove to be incapable at reasonable expense of
being made fit only because it is let at a low rent on a controlled tenancy. In such cases
conversion to decontrolled/regulated tenancies will automatically render its renovation a viable
economic proposition. Experience shows that this sort of situation is often brought about when
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