§ Mr. Craven-EllisWith your permission, Mr. Speaker, and with the approval of my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Wing-Commander James), I am presenting a Public Petition on behalf of 818 persons living within the Urban District of Wellingborough. The persons signing the Petition include, in the main, occupiers of property as well as owners of property.
Your Petitioners complain that they have suffered great hardship as a result of the Housing Acts, 1925–36, which empower local authorities to make compulsory demolition orders against their property, but do not provide for the payment of compensation for the loss of their property. Your Petitioners pray—That where it is considered necessary in the interests of the public health that property belonging to them should be demolished adequate compensation should be paid to those of them who are owners of the property for the loss of the property; and to those of them who are occupiers of the property for the loss of goodwill of any trade or business. That an appropriate tribunal be set up independent of the Ministry of Health and local authorities to assess the measure of compensation payable in each particular case, regard being given in making such assessment to the value of the property, or the goodwill of a business in open market, before any proceedings are taken under the Housing Acts. That particularly hard cases that have occurred already should be re-examined sympathetically. That, in the meanwhile, steps should be taken to give effect to the publicly declared policy of the Ministry of Health in the district of Wellingborough.