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will be in a condition such as to satisfy the requirements
of Section 43 of the Housing (Financial
Provisions) Act 1958.
The following numbers of applications were
approved during the year—
Mortgage loans 583
Repairs loans 20
Discretionary grants 35
Standard grants 59
Six hundred and fifty-nine inspections were made
and attention drawn to defective conditions in 275
dwellings, in addition to 4,075 routine inspections
made in connection with the foregoing summary.
Two representations under Section 19 of the
Housing Act 1964 were under consideration at the
end of the year.
Liaison is maintained with the Solicitor to the
Council in an effort to ensure that dwellings subject
to mortgage loans from the council are not overcrowded
in breach of a condition of the mortgage.
Overcrowding, particularly where it involves an
increasing immigrant population, has become more
widespread during the year, and the most vigorous
application of the provisions of the Housing Act
1961-1964 does not produce results as satisfactory as
one would like to see. Prescribed procedures are so
time-consuming that they are often ineffective in
dealing with a moving population, and it is not always
practicable to apply the provisions of Section 16 of
the Housing Act 1961, concurrently with those of
Section 15 where external fire escapes are required,
since such proposals often involve the need for town
planning approval.
While one can readily recommend legal proceedings
in those cases where overcrowding has been
deliberately caused and there is no likelihood of
abatement in any other way, there is always some
anxiety about the provision of accommodation for
persons who will be dispossessed. It may well be
that pre-certification by local authorities of the
adequacy of accommodation proposed to be occupied
by Commonwealth immigrants will prove to be the
only method by which progressive deterioration of
standards can be stemmed.
Searches into records etc were made in respect of
4,692 dwelling-houses under the Local Land Charges
Act 1925.
Miscellaneous activities—In addition to work
described under other headings the staff undertake
other duties, either normal to the department or in
liaison with other departments.
Inspections of premises licensed for public
entertainment numbered 50, of hairdressers' premises
to secure compliance with byelaws 56, of schools 29,
and routine investigations of infectious diseases
and cases of food poisoning 735. Routine inspections
of stables, piggeries, public conveniences, swimming
baths, random accumulations of rubbish, and of
miscellaneous other premises totalled 763, and 2,642
other visits were made for the purpose of interviewing
owners of premises, architects, engineers, builders
and others affected by the activities of the department.
During the first three months of the year the public
health inspectors also paid 409 visits in connection
with the council's laundry service to incontinent
persons and 1,310 inspections for rodent control
purposes pending reorganisation.
The disinfector/drain testers, whose functions also
include the conveyance of old people's laundry and
the maintenance of communications between
departments, made a total of 10,125 visits during
the year.
Public Health Act 1936
Nursing Homes
Since the 1st April 1965 the council as local health
authority became responsible for the registration
and supervision of nursing homes in accordance with
regulations made under part VI of the Public
Health Act 1936.
Section I of the Nursing Homes Act 1963 made
provision governing the conduct of nursing homes
with respect to the standard of accommodation, staff
and the care provided for patients, and limitations
on the number of patients maintained in each home.
At the end of the year three nursing homes were
registered to which principal medical officers made
periodic visits of inspection.
Survey of childhood cancers
The survey which continued during 1965 was
commenced some years ago under the direction of
Dr Alice Stewart, Reader in Social Medicine, Oxford
University.
The borough, together with other local health
authorities, is participating in the study by following
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