[Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, East Grinstead U.D.C.
- East Grinstead (England). Urban District Council.
- Date:
- 1955
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1955] / Medical Officer of Health, East Grinstead U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![Clean Food Byelaws. Most food shops in the town continue to improve their methods of dis- playing and handling food. Many, away from the main shopping centre, are attracting custom by raising the standard of service and hygiene, sometimes at considerable cost in fitments and improvement of premises. Where a high standard has been achieved, either voluntarily or under pressure from this department, the shopkeeper has always acclaimed the . resulting improvement in trade. | The discriminating housewife enjoys the service and safety she demands; ^ others are likely to get what they deserve. ] The next objective is the elimination of the window display of uncovered i cooked food; and only the customer can convince many shopkeepers that this is an unnecessary and dangerous practice. During the year statutory action was required in only one case, that of a street trader displaying fruit and vegetables cn unprotected stalls in the forecourt of a disused building, in the main thoroughfare. The stalls had no washing or sanitary facihties and no means of disposal of refuse and waste. A fine was imposed by the Magistrates, and the trader decided to leave the town. The very unsatisfactory conditions must have been obvious to patrons, and should have made such action unnecessary. Yet the illusion of “cheap” food blinded many to the danger of dirt and disease. The price tickets in neighbouring shops often showed that no comparison could have been made, even for goods of much higher quality. The cult of the ghb tongued street trader dies hard. Housing. The Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, a measure designed to widen the scope of Housing Policy, came into operation on 30th August, 1954. As a result of this Act, the Minister of Housing and Local Goverr.ment instructed Local Authorities to submit proposals for deahng with unfit houses in their districts, these proposals to include schemes for future slum clearance. The proposals submitted by this Council included an estimate of 103 houses out of a total of 3671 in the district, which in the next five years should be dealt with under Section 11 of The Housing Act, 1936 (either by demolition or \vith an undertaking from the owner not to relet a property until made fit for habitation), or under Section 25 of The Housing Act, 1936 (those houses included in clearance areas). Applications for Improvement Grants in respect of existing houses received during 1955 were 18, as compared with 4 in 1954. The Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954 permits landlords to raise controlled rents where houses are in a good state of repair. A tenant who does not consider the state of the house justifies the increase may apply to the Council for a certificate of disrepair to restrain the landlord from applying the increase in rent. Applications for certificates of disrepair have been few. Two certificates were granted in 1955 in respect of apphcations made in 1954, and no apphcaticns were received in 1955. JOHN PETRIE, Medical Officer of Health. \](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29182876_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
