[Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield R.D.C.

  • Chesterfield (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/34 (page 10)
    Housing While it would be true to say that the demand for houses is as great as ever, it is also true to say that most cases of serious overcrowding of long standing have been dealth with. The two types of urgent cases, which the majority of the waiting lists are composed of, are bad overcrowding of comparatively recent origin, i.e. applications have been in for a year or eighteen months, and cases of long standing applications, where the degree of overcrowding is slight, but two families occupying one house. The latter type of family usually consists of father, mother, and one or two children. Some indication of the numbers of this category requiring housing accommodation can be judged from the housing lists. Of approximately 4,000 applications outstanding, 3,100 families could be accommodated in two-bedroomed houses. This fact is recognised by the Council and in 1951 the bulk of the allocation of houses will be of the two-bedroomed type. If the allocation of houses is not raised substantially in the future, it seems likely that the numbers on the waiting list will show no appreciable fall for some years to come. This, in turn, will reflect itself in the progress of the demolition of unfit properties. Until more progress is made in house building, many houses must remain in occupation, which in happier normal times, would have been condemned. One aspect of housing not perhaps of major importance to housing authorities but of great importance to the families concerned, is that of the families who have not great prior claim on any single authority. For instance, a case came to my notice of a family consisting of father, mother and two boys. The mother originally came from Apperknowle, the father from Chesterfield Borough. They had lived at Eastbourne for a spell after the war, are now resident as sub-tenants in unfit property situated in the Urban District of Dronfield ; the father now works in the City of Sheffield. Query—which authority should be responsible for rehousing this family ? The question of families from area of adjacent housing authorities must be carefully considered, especially vy4uthorised caravan sites are set up in the Rural District.