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Housing Acts 1957 1969
New Houses

Houses unfit for human habitation
The ministry of housing and local government
requested details of the council s next 4 year
programme for dealing with houses which were
unfit for human habitation, No such programme
was in being but a survev of the housing
throughout the borough revealed that there
were 615 houses which were of an age and type
of construction as to indicate that they should
be inspected in detail for action under the
housing legislation.
A positive programme of inspection of these
houses was initided and throughout the vear
nearly 4.000 visits were paid by the public
health inspectors and technical assistants in
connection with housing work. This is a con
siderable increase compared with the numbers
last year and the results of the department s
efforts are tabulated below.
a) 4 clearance areas were declared comprising
in total 43 houses.
b) 46 houses demolished due to clearance area
action.
c) 160 houses made fit for human habitation by
informal action.
d) 1 house made fit for human habitation by
formal action.
e) 14 houses closed as being unfit for human
habitation.
f) 4 houses upon which demolition orders were
made.
g) 9 closed houses made fit by the owners
and the closing orders subsequently
determined.
h) 15 houses demolished because of unfitness.
i) 1 underground room closed because of
unfitness,
At the end of the year there were still 18
houses occupied which had formed part of 2
clearance area declarations. These areas had
been declared bv the council in 1968 and 1969.
This positive approach to unfit dwellings
was made possible by Mr A E. Canovan
district public health inspector taking over the
co ordination for housing work Subsequently he
was promoted to senior public health inspector
(housing).
Houses in multiple occupation
During the year I expressed to the health
committee concern over the number of houses
which were let in multiple occupation. From
available information it appeared that there
were over 5500 such houses in the borough and
it was obviously necessary to carry out a
detailed programme of inspection to locate
these houses in order that the appropriate
action could be initiated, The problems
associated with such housing may be
summarised as follows
a) overcrowd ing.
b) lack of or insufficiency of adequate
facilities and amenities for all the
occupants
c) lack of proper means of escape in case of
fire.
d) disrepair.
The council subsequently agreed to the
employment of two additional technical assist
ants within the town clerk s department who
would be under the day to day control of the
valuation and estates department These two
officers would then be loaned to the environmental
health section to commence the survey.
It is hoped that thev will be able to start early
in the new year.
Although 291 visits were made in connection
with this work it was mainly of an informal
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