London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Tottenham 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
This page requires JavaScript
28
In October, 1946, a careful examination of all housing
applications was made by the department, and applicants were
placed in categories according to the type of accommodation required.
The following summary shows the housing needs of the borough at that time:—
| Families. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category A.—(Married couples only) | Two-bedroomed house rerequired | 1,569 |
| Category B.—(Married couples with not more than 2 children). | Two-bedroomed house required | 3,157 |
| Category C.—(Married couples with 2*, 3, or 4 children). | Three-bedroomed house required | 757 |
| (*=children of opposite sexes.) | ||
| Category D.—(Families with 4 or more children). | Four-bedroomed house required | 173 |
| Category X.—(Old age pensioners). | One-bedroomed flat required | 63 |
| Applicants not complying with the residential qualification | 1,405 | |
| Applications still under consideration | 600 | |
| Total | 7,724 | |
The Council then had to decide which particular category
should be dealt with first, and in considering this question they were
bound to take cognizance of the fact that the accommodation to be
provided in the first local housing schemes consisted mainly of
dwellings of not less than three bedrooms, apart from the onebedroomed
flats for old age pensioners. It was accordingly agreed
to apply the points scheme in the first instance to families in
Categories (C) and (D), and investigations and interviews by the
Lettings Committee commenced in the last quarter of the year.
Requisitioned Properties and Vacancies occurring on the
existing housing estates.
The limited number of requisitioned properties becoming
available during the year, and a few re-lets on the existing housing
estates, were also dealt with by the Public Health Department. In
selecting tenants for requisitioned properties, special consideration
in a few instances was given to families evicted from their present