[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Aylesbury Borough.

  • Aylesbury (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Aylesbury Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/26 (page 16)
    The Government feels that the increased rents will allow Local Authorities to make more use of the repair sections of the Housing Acts to stop the further decay of existing houses. The Minister also proposes to ask for the presentation, within twelve months of the passing of the Act, of a five year programme of slum clearance. Preliminary work on the last mentioned item has already commenced and a report will be submitted to the Committee early in 1954. During the year under review, 41 original visits and 213 re-inspections were made, resulting in the service of 39 Informal and 15 Statutory notices. Three houses were repaired by the Council in default of action by the owner, the cost of such work being recoverable from the owner, and 30 other houses were repaired. Overcrowding. Nine complaints of overcrowding were received and investigated during the year and 5 cases were found to be overcrowded within the definition of the Housing Acts and referred to the Housing Department for assistance. Disinfestation. Evidence of bed-bug infestation was found in 9 premises during the year and 35 rooms were disinfested. D.D.T. solutions and powders containing D.D.T. and B.H.C. were again used with satisfactory results. Slaughterhouse. FOOD. The premises at Silver Lane have continued to be used for the slaughter of animals on behalf of the Ministry of Food. The Committee set up by the Ministry of Food to report on the siting of new slaughterhouses has not yet submitted its report and no further action with regard to a new abattoir has been taken. In the late autumn the Minister of Food announced the Government’s intention to end all rationing and hand the meat and livestock industry back to private enterprise during 1954. No indication of the proposals for slaughter of animals under the new conditions have been issued, and it is difficult to see how this work will be carried out in Aylesbury, or indeed throughout the country. In Aylesbury, of the 11 private slaughterhouses in use before the war, 5 are either demolished or used for other purposes, and the remainder are not up to the standard required for present day slaughterhouses. The Aylesbury Master Butchers’ Association propose to discuss this matter early in 1954, and have asked representatives of the Health Committee to meet them on that occasion.