§ 85. Mr. Mappasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he now proposes to take with the Oldham authority to re-establish a programme of clearing all unfit dwellings by 1980.
§ Mr. FreesonI visited Oldham on 20th February and had a useful and constructive discussion with the corporation covering a wide range of housing problems. My intention now is to write to them setting out matters for further consideration, including the need for a considerably increased future slum clearance programme. I hope that there can be follow-up discussions at officer level between the Department and the authority.
§ 86. Mr. Mappasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will indicate, for a typical major rehousing scheme in Oldham, the interim costs before housing subsidy was payable, in terms of amount of capital and interest rates borrowed for clearance of unfit houses and building new dwellings, and the number of unfit and new dwellings that have been so dealt with; and to what extent the costs have been borne by the Housing Revenue Account.
§ Mr. FreesonOn an actual redevelopment scheme in Oldham for 947 dwellings the loan charges borne by the Housing Revenue Account from the start of clearing the area to the first completion were68W £93,000, on a capital cost of £1.032 million.
Oldham Council has cleared 3,500 unfit houses in the last four years—1966 to 1969—and has built 2,896 new dwellings in the same period.
The costs incurred in slum clearance under Parts II and III of the Housing Act, 1957, are normally a charge on the General Rate Fund and not on the Housing Revenue Account. But where the land is appropriated for Part V housing purposes the cost of acquisition and clearance is chargeable to the Housing Revenue Account.