The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890 ( 53 & 54 Vict. c. 70) was an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

Background

The

Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885 The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c. 72) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Sections 7 to 10 of this Act are amongst the enactments which may be cited as the Public Health Acts. Background In the Novem ...

was a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

act, not a housing act. It empowered local authorities to condemn

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

housing, but could not purchase the land and finance new housing. This act did that.

The Act

The act is made up of four parts and seven schedules: * Part 1: Unhealthy Areas * Part 2: Unhealthy Dwellings * Part 3: Working Class Lodging Houses * Part 4: Supplemental * First Schedule: A list of the names of relevant authorities * Second Schedule: Provisions for compulsory purchase * Third Schedule: Provisions for closing premises * Fourth and Fifth Schedule: A collection of forms to be used in applying the act * Sixth Schedule: Lists required byelaws that authorities need to enact.*

Implications

This gave

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

the legal power to compulsory buy land out of area and to construct tenements and housing estates. The powers under part 3 were extensive: allowing the Council to: *(a) lease land for the erection thereon of workmen's dwellings *(b) itself undertake the erection of dwellings or the improvement or reconstruction of existing dwellings *(c) fit up, furnish and maintain lodging working classes *(d) make any necessary by-laws and regulations for the management and use of the lodging houses *(e) sell dwellings or lodging houses established for seven years or upwards under Part III. of the Act whenever such dwellings or lodging houses are deemed by the Council and the Local Government Board to be unnecessary or too expensive to keep up. The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1894 amended the financial provisions of part 2 of the principal Act. The

Housing of the Working Classes Act 1900 The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1900 ( 63 & 64 Vict. c. 59) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Background The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1885 was a public health act, not a housing act. It empowered local authoriti ...

extended these powers to all authorities other than

rural district council Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Ad ...

References

External links

Guide to the reports of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes.
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1890 Housing in the United Kingdom Housing legislation in the United Kingdom {{UK-statute-stub

Background

The Act

Implications

See also

References

Further reading

External links