Quicker Housing Measures
Public opinion is fully aroused to the necessity of using any and every means to-increase accommodation for families urgently in need of dwellings ; and the resort of the Vigilantes to the illegal seizure of vacant houses shows how important it is to leave no excuse for lawlessness. The circular issued by the Ministry of Health last week gives local authorities the power to do legally what individuals cannot be allowed to do illegally, and at the same time authorises them to act on their own initiative in using other means to speed up the supply of living room. They already have considerable powers to take over unoccupied premises in the interests of the homeless, but the new order removes the necessity of seeking the approval of the regional officers of the Ministry of Health and the delays which that entails, and enables the local authority to Te- quisition empty houses if an owner cannot show within fourteen days that he intends to enter into occupation himself. This should serve to remove the .scandal of houses remaining vacant in neighbourhoods where there is a serious shortage of accommodation, though care will have to be taken that hardship is not inflicted on service men or others temporarily absent and expecting to return. But larger results are likely to be obtained by the action now urged upon the local authorities to increase accommodation by new building, repairs and maintenance, either through the Council or private enterprise, and without waiting for the Ministry's approval, and also by issuing licences for private housing work costing more than the previous maximum of £m°. Thus at one stroke a great deal of red tape should be cut out in the relations between the Ministry and the local authorities, and upon the latter is imposed a great responsibility to act on their own initiative with energy and drive.
Previous page
