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which such a course has been necessary will be found on page 35 of
this report.
Powers under repair sections of the Housing Act, 1936 are, of
course, far more extensive than those under the nuisance sections of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, which empower local authorities
to deal only with premises in such a state as to be a nuisance or
dangerous or injurious to health and often entail considerable delay
in securing the carrying out of necessary work. Moreover, under
the Housing Acts, the procedure for the Council carrying out work
in default of the owner and the recovery of expenses is simpler than
under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
Prior to the war, four sanitary inspectors were engaged in
duties under the Housing Act, 1936, and during the year it was
found possible to fill three vacancies which had existed for a very
considerable time, thus enabling this work to be recommenced.
In Hackney, the procedure adopted for operating Section 9 of
the Housing Act, 1936 is first to serve an informal notice on an
owner and seek his co-operation; and where this is not forthcoming,
to follow up with the service of a formal notice. This notice, in the
event of default by the owner, can be followed by the work being
carried out by the Council. Generally, the owners concerned take
steps to comply with the notices served but in respect of four houses
the owners exercised their right of appeal against the service of the
notices. The owners concerned later withdrew the appeals, paid
the Council's costs and carried out the works required. It is
probable that the number of appeals will increase.
The question of the general resumption of slum clearance in
London was reviewed during the year and a conference between
officers of the London County Council and the Metropolitan Boroughs
was held.
It was appreciated that the question of the general resumption
of slum clearance in London is bound up with considerations which
arise out of the Circular issued by the Ministry of Town and Country
Planning, relating to the movement of population to new and
expanded towns from Greater London, but as the slum clearance
proposals of the Metropolitan Boroughs at that time consisted of
a schedule of areas declared prior to the war and not yet developed,
the Councils were asked to bring up-to-date their post-war slum
clearance proposals in order that information could be prepared to
show the extent of the slum clearance problem in the County, the
degree of urgency for dealing with particular areas and the need for
" decanting" accommodation.