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The total number of applications in 1970 was 106.
Amount paid in grants £39,033
Average grant per house £520
Improvement Grants—Publicity
Information on improvement is sent out with all correspondence concerning housing emanating
from this department in order to create interest in improvement. The public notice boards, the
Borough Show and "Welcome to Citizenship" Exhibition are all used to publicise improvement
grants.
Repair (Housing and Public Health Acts)
Little action is ever shown in the following table relating to the Housing Act, 1957. This is
by no means uncommon as most authorities secure the repair of dwelling houses by use of the
nuisance provisions of the Public Health Act, 1936 and by use of the new section 9(1A) of the
Housing Act 1957 which empowers a local authority to serve notice on an owner where a dwelling
is not unfit for habitation but in need of substantial repair. This section is now used fairly extensively,
especially with the increased value of all types of property and the trend of increasing rents, it is
becoming more and more difficult to use the old provisions of the Housing Act, 1957 relating to
"reasonable expense".
Not to be overlooked in this connection is the amount of repair work carried out to dwelling
houses after public health inspectors visit a house in connection with an improvement grant.
Almost invariably an owner making his application for a grant is not in a competent position to
inspect a dwelling house to ascertain how far short of good repair it falls. Many houses therefore
that are improved in this area nowadays are also repaired to a good standard as a result of inspections
carried out by public health inspectors bringing to the notice of the owners matters requiring
attention for the essential good maintenance and preservation of property.