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59
INTRODUCTION
The Council's responsibility to ensure that the homes in which people
live, and the factories, offices and shops in which they work are safe, healthy
and comfortable: that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food
we eat are safe and wholesome, comes within the purview of the Health Department.
To a large extent the public health inspectorate apply the numerous Acts,
Regulations, Byelaws, etc., tosee that these responsibilities are carried out.
Apart from merely invoking legislative procedure, however, the good Public
Health Inspector, wherever possible, tries to prevent rather than cure.
Unfortunately, however, the year's work must be reviewed against a background
of serious staff shortages and I have already drawn attention to this
in my preface. Although there has been a shortage of actual Inspectors, as
in previous times, Hackney has been in the forefront in engaging and training
student public health inspectors, and this we continue to do.
HOUSING
This is one of the most important aspects of environmental work undertaken
in the Department, as bad housing is one of the underlying causes of illhealth.
The three main Housing Acts with which this Department are concerned
are those enacted 1957, 1961 and 1964 and details are set out below:-
HOUSING ACT, 1957
CLEARANCE AREAS
Pour Clearance Areas were declared involving 144 houses and 216 families.
INDIVIDUAL UNFIT HOUSES
(a) Whole Houses
As regards individual unfit premises, one Closing Order on a house was
revoked and a Demolition Order substituted. Two Demolition Orders and six
Closing Orders were made, and one Undertaking not to use a house for human
habitation was accepted.
(b) Parts of Houses
Closing Orders were made in respect of parts of 43 houses; these included
61 individual underground rooms.
Undertakings not to use parts of buildings for human habitation were
accepted in respect of parts of three houses; these included seven individual
underground rooms.
During the year seven Closing Orders for parts of buildings were determined.
HOUSING ACT, 1961
MANAGEMENT ORDERS
Management Orders were made in respect of 10 houses where proper standards
of management had not been maintained bringing the total number of Management
Orders made by the Council to 29.