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51
The tenancy of No. 20 was last year granted to a new tenant,
who expended about £140 in putting the premises in a proper state
of repair. The Churchwardens and Overseers cannot grant a
term beyond their current year of office, and the Vestry, not
being the owners, and indeed, being disqualified by the Statutes
of Mortmain from holding property for such a purpose, cannot
grant a lease of the houses. Although not trust property in the
more limited sense, the houses may be described as being applicable
to the Poor Law purposes only and not to the purposes of the
Vestry.
In the year 1886 it was in contemplation to substantially
repair the six houses which were then let on yearly repairing
tenancies, but the Churchwardens and Overseers, the Owners,
and the Governors and Directors of the Poor, who then managed
the property, were confronted with the difficulty that they could
neither defray the cost of the repairs from the rates, nor mortgage
the property, nor create a tenancy for a sufficient term to
justify the tenant expending a large sum of money. Under these
circumstances the Local Goverment Board were asked to advise
the Parish Officers as to what legal power they had to repair
or rebuild the premises, and the following is the Board's reply:—
As stated in the Board's letter of 7th April last, it does
not appear that the cost of repairing or rebuilding the houses
can lawfully be defrayed out of the Poor Rate ; and as the
Board understand that the Parish do not want to sell the
property, they are of opinion that the best course to adopt
would be for the property to be let on lease under section 3
of 5 & 6 William IV., cap. 69, subject to the condition that
the Lessees shall rebuild the houses, or put them into a
proper state of repair.
If the property were so let, and it became necessary,
before the expiration of the lease, to acquire any part of the
property for the purpose of extending the Workhouse, it
would be competent for the Guardians of the Westminster
Union with the consent of the Board, to acquire the part
required under the provisions of sections 51—54 of 30 & 31
Vic., cap. 6 ; or if it is thought likely that the property may
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