[Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, New Forest R.D.C.

  • New Forest (Hampshire, England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1949
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1949] / Medical Officer of Health, New Forest R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/40 (page 13)
    CESSPIT EMPTYING. The Council undertakes the cleansing of cesspits free of direct charge at intervals of approximately, but not less than six months, by contract with the Hampshire Cleansing Co. Emptying of cesspits on Council Housing Estates is carried out by the Council’s own plant and staff under the supervision of the Engineer and Surveyor. Under “ Drainage and Sewerage ” I referred to the urgent and important necessity of a main drainage scheme for the parish of Fawley and also the delay in the Dibden scheme. The provision of these services has an important reflection on the disposal of cesspit contents in these parishes, but more especially the parish of Fawley, where the present method of disposal is open to criticism and as suggested to the Council, it is considered that some form of control and systematic disposal is essential until such time as proper sewerage schemes are provided. HOUSING. Despite the progress in the Council’s building programme there is no appreciable alleviation of unsatisfactory housing conditions. The effective outstanding demands for new houses is still very high as borne out by the number of applicants for Council houses which at the end of the year was 926. At the end of 1948 the number was 977, it will therefore be seen that although 215 houses were built during the year by the Council and private enterprise, there has been no substantial decrease in the number of applicants. Of the total number of applicants approximately 350 families are living in sub-standard conditions in ex military camps and whilst the Council have done all possible to make these hutments habitable, this measure is only of a temporary nature and the conditions in the main require that these families should be rehoused with the minimum of delay. Of the remaining number it is estimated that approximately 500 families are living in overcrowded conditions or occupying unfit houses. Without taking into consideration the balance between the /umber of families on the Council’s application list living in unfit houses and the number of houses revealed by the Hob- fiouse Survey to be unfit and cannot be rendered fit, as distinct from those found to be unfit but capable of being made fit, the position in regard to satisfactory housing needs in the district presents a formidable programme for the provision of new houses.