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8. Installations for space heating or for the use of space heating appliances
Within every living or sleeping room which is not provided with adequate heating
from a central heating system there shall be provided:—
(a) A fixed appliance for heating the room by the use of solid fuel or gas; a gas
heating appliance shall be connected to a gas supply. Slot meters shall not
be deemed to disconnect the gas supply; or
(b) Suitably placed electric points to which electric heating appliances are capable
of being connected, such points shall be connected to an electricity supply.
Slot meters shall not be deemed to disconnect the electricity supply.
N.B. A house in multiple occupation to which these standards are applicable
is a house which, or a part of which, is let in lodgings, or which is
occupied by members of more than one family. (Section 15, Housing
Act, 1961.)
These provisions merely provide a general guide to the type of work which may be
required. Each case will be considered on its own individual merits.
IMPROVEMENT GRANTS
Consideration was given during the year to Ministry of Housing and Local
Government Circular No. 42/62 which asked local authorities to make a determined
and sustained effort to bring about an increase in the number of houses being improved
with the aid of improvement grants. The Ministry were proposing to organise further
demonstrations and publicity to draw the attention of landlords and tenants to the
possibility of improvements and the grants available, but were of the opinion that
to achieve even greater results local authorities must be prepared to make a systematic
approach by dealing with houses area by area. The difficulty was again one of availability
of manpower capable of carrying out such work and of negotiating with
property owners on these questions, and although the Council were willing and
anxious to implement the Ministry's proposals, no firm programme had been
arranged by the end of the year. Inter-Committee and inter-Departmental discussions
were still proceeding.
Bucknell's House
Early in 1962, the B.B.C. purchased an old house in The Grove, Ealing, and
arranged a series of television programmes to show what might be done to improve
old and dilapidated properties. The house concerned was a little over 100 years old,
had been much neglected, and was suffering from dampness, decaying floors and
timbers generally, perished plasterwork, in addition to general disrepair due to age.
The rooms in the basement of the house were particularly below standard in many
ways and the whole house lacked modern amenities of any kind.
The Council was approached by the B.B.C. for assistance in presenting the
programmes and arrangements were finally made for several members of the Council's
staff to appear and to discuss with Barry Bucknell the problems to be faced. In
one programme an officer of the Public Health Department discussed the methods
normally used to overcome dampness and for dealing with flooring in basement
rooms, and also the extent to which these and other basement rooms in similar
premises are affected by the requirements of the Regulations for Underground
Rooms. Reference was also made to the Improvement Grants available to property
owners. In other programmes officers from the Borough Surveyor's Department
dealt with Town Planning and Byelaw requirements, with special reference to the
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