Report on the overcrowding survey in England and Wales, 1936.

Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the overcrowding survey in England and Wales, 1936. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/186
    Table VI Size Distribution of Overcrowded Dwellings Overcrowded dwellings Overcrowded dwellings with the Size of Ane of the size in Col. 1. approximate number of rooms in Col. 2. overcrowded etna leans in the Percentage Percentage Peizonhdan number) dwelling N of total of total 8 . ; umber. Number. of all in Col. 1. overcrowded overcrowded Police dwellings. | dwellings. Weer Le os oe 4. De 6. | fe 0 oe yf 240 1 : ae 1,191 -3 1 sg sed 1 2,309 -7 35,537 10-5 -398 1 gee a 11,468 3-4 2, A BS 20,329 6:0 OL a -E 40,980 12-0 : : 3° a \ 2 70,959 20:8 \ 111,939 32-8 1-254 Sh ties spy ( 3,889 1-1 4: Beekent <2 32,155 9-4 é pri «i 3 4 yee oe 119,680 35-0 1-341 5 a ae L 64,141 18:8 bby es Pee 7,976 Doo 6 a ‘Ze 26 282 Pod Gh <5, a 4 12,088 3:6 64,987 19-0 -728 7 ae =i 7,606 2-2 1h ae oe re 11,035 3:2 8 ft ” 3,763 1-1 Shes. an 5 2,789 -8 8,055 Aes | -090 9 <2 5 1,503 “4 Oe oie as 692 2 10 r. Bd 6 411 -1 1,195 -34 ‘013 L042. oT: 92 -04 11 ei ay: fh} 83 -03 >) 114 ey 7 ge -O1 penne oy. f 26 01 os ina ier Over 12 oe 8 20 Ol Table VI shows that 43-3 per cent. of the overcrowded dwellings were of either one or two rooms, while only 2-7 per cent. of the overcrowded dwellings had five rooms or more. Overcrowding is much more common in dwellings of two and three rooms than in dwellings of any other size. EFFECT OF A HYPOTHETICAL ALTERATION OF THE OVERCROWDING STANDARD 9. The overcrowding standard is the first attempt of its kind to lay down a statutory arithmetical basis on which to measure overcrowding. In paragraph 3 of Memorandum B on the Housing Act, 1935, the following sentence appears : ‘ It is relevant to point out that this standard does not represent any ideal standard of housing, but the minimum which is in the view of Parliament tolerable, while at the same time capable of immediate or early enforcement ”’. The ideal standard of housing may perhaps be taken as the standard outlined in Section 37 of the Housing Act, 1930. This is the standard which is applied in certain circumstances to the rehousing activities of local authorities. It is not a detailed standard, but provides only that a new house containing 2 bedrooms shall count as providing accommodation for 4 individuals, one containing 3 bed- rooms for 5 individuals, and one containing 4 bedrooms for 7 individuals. The size of the bedrooms is left unspecified, but since in new houses one of the bedrooms at least is usually small, the standard may be taken to be equivalent to 2 individuals per normal sized bedroom, together with adequate living accommodation.