[Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Sutton Coldfield Borough.

  • Sutton Coldfield (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1968
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Sutton Coldfield Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    mosquitoes, the work being done in accordance with the report made by Dr. W. M. Service in 1967. The department's role in the supervision of housing conditions in the Borough has changed somewhat over the past two years in accordance with the report submitted to the Health Committee in 1967. Phase 1 saw the completion of the clearance of unfit houses; Phase 2, on which some emphasis has been placed for the past two years has seen the improvement of a number of suitable properties. The next phase will be to en¬ sure the maintenance of the tenanted privately owned houses in accordance with the powers and duties placed on the Council under the Public Health and Housing Acts. The Council has actively participated in the introduction of Improvement Areas under the Housing Act 1964 and it seems a pity that, having now mastered the somewhat cumbersome administrative procedure of the Act, a further upheaval is contemplated by the introduction of a new procedure for the compulsory im¬ provement of houses. In practice the old procedure worked well and property owners co-operated with the Authority to secure the necessary improvement. It is to be hoped that the proposed new legislation will be equally effective. Houses in multi-occupation have not given cause for concern during the year and most owners of this class of property are now fully aware of their responsibilities. It has not been necessary to invoke any legislation beyond those Sections of the Act dealing with facilitities and means of escape in case of fire. During the year some concern was expressed by the Council in connection with the condition of properties standing vacant awaiting demolition either following unfit housing procedure or pending re-development. Such properties are subject to extremes of damage from vandalism and have to be kept under observation from a viewpoint of safety. Legal procedures often hold up demolition work for some time but steps are taken to obtain demolition as quickly as possible. The Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 has commanded a good deal of attention, and con¬ tinuous vigilance is necessary to keep apace of new registrations, change of occupier, and works of altera¬ tion. Liaison between departments is vital to the exercise of proper control under the Act but there is no substitute for an active Health Inspector in his district if matters are to be kept up to date. It seems doubt¬ ful whether the accidents notified under the Act form the full picture and a good many employers, I am sure, do not appreciate that it is necessary to notify to the Local Authority any accident which disables for more than three days any person employed to work in offices or shops registered under the Act. The first prosecu¬ tion under the provisions of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act was taken successfully against a firm for not providing sufficient W.C. and washing facilities. The advent of the Civic Amenities Act has given much wider powers to Local Authorities to deal with refuse outside the scope of normal house refuse, particularly car bodies. It has been pleasing to see already the improvement in the surroundings that this Act has brought about. Car bodies cease to litter the open sites; and the countryside is not quite the litter dumping ground it has been hitherto. The Council offers an excel¬ lent service to its ratepayers in the disposal of mattresses and bedding etc. This service calls for a liaison between the Borough Surveyors and Public Health Department which has continued to work very well through¬ out the past 12 months. The latter part of the year saw the commencement of preliminary trials on the newly completed refuse incineration plant at Minworth. Built at a cost of £420, 000 the plant has a capacity of ten tons per hour and incorporates the Heenan Nicholls continuous rocking grate. The plant should be fully operational by early 1969 and its opening should see an end to the nuisance that has arisen from the existing Riland Road plant. Work under the Consumer Protection Act 1960 continues to expand and the taking of samples for testing has become a routine part of the Department's activities. It is sometimes surprising to find a complete ignorance of the scope of the work of the Inspectorate when talks are being given to local organisations. There is no doubt that the work of this section ranges far and wide, and is of the utmost importance to the community as a whole. Comments on other aspects of the Health Department's work are made under the appropriate sections. I would finally like to express my thanks to all the staff of the Health Department for the excellent way they have worked during the year and the help they have given me. I would like particularly to thank Mr. Mitchell, the Chief Public Health Inspector, Miss McCaffery, the Borough Nursing Officer, and Mr. Nicholls, the Chief Administrative Assistant. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the Chairman of the Health Committee, Councillor Knight, and the Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, Councillor Bannister, and the members of their Committees for their encouragement and advice. MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH