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heavy liability. Three courses are open to him; he might try to give away
or sell the house, the most likely purchaser being the tenant; or he may ask
the local authority to declare the house unfit for human habitation and incapable
of being repaired at a reasonable cost, in which case the house is
demolished and he cuts his loss; or he may sink more capital in having the
house repaired and hope to repay himself over the years, but he cannot charge
more rent. If you were an owner in his place what would you do ?
The tenant, on the other hand, living in the house is dissatisfied with the
bad conditions, but would not welcome the prospect of being turned out to allow
the house to be demolished unless he had somewhere else to go. He might find
happiness in the thought that the Council would rehouse him in a nice new
Council house, but he will get a shock when he learns that the Council are not
obliged to provide him with a house, and might not be able to do so even if
they wished. In any case he would have to pay a far higher rent. If you were
the tenant would you be prepared to buy the old house at a nominal figure and
pay for the repairs yourself ?
As a ratepayer and taxpayer you have interest in this problem of rehousing
because on every new house built—now costing anything up to £1,750—you
contribute in your rates and taxes about 8s. 6d. a week towards the rent. If
you think the Council should buy up derelict property and put it in order, then
that policy will push up your rates. From a national point of view is it wise
to scrap an old house which might be put in good order for £270 and replace it
with a new house—admittedly superior—for £1,750 ? If you were Minister
of Local Government and Planning what would you advise ?
These questions have been posed to illustrate the difficulty and complexity
of getting house repairs done. There is no simple solution. In the Health
Department we are obliged to exercise a constant vigilance to see that the cost
of repairs ordered or enforced are reasonable within the very difficult
interpretation of that term.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR THE OLD FOLKS
Living Alone.
Occasionally it is necessary for the Council to apply to the Court for an
Order to remove an old person compulsorily to a place of care and safety when
the stage of degeneration of mental and physical powers has become so severe
as to produce serious threat to health and indeed life. In 1950 we had to deal
in this way with an elderly widow aged about 80.
I visited her, but found it extremely difficult to gain entry to the house.
Eventually after several attempts she answered the door and allowed me in.
She was extremely dirty, had not been washed for probably months or years;
her clothes were filthy. She kept the blinds drawn constantly so that the front
room was dark. By the light of the open door, I could see that the room was
thick with dirt and dust. The back room also was in total darkness until she
drew up the blind and let in some light. In this room, which she used as a living
room, the conditions were far worse. On the floor and the furniture there was
the dirt of years. The walls were almost completely black with smoke and dirt.
There was no fire; I learned from her and some neighbours that she never
had a fire, and on the rare occasion when she formerly used to have one, the
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