The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1900 ( 63 & 64 Vict. c. 59) 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 not to purchase the land or finance new housing. The

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

gave urban authorities the legal power to buy land and to construct tenements and housing estates. The 1900 act empowered authorities to purchase land for the same purpose outside of their jurisdictions.

The 1890 Act

The 1890 act is made up of four parts and seven schedules.The Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, Annotated with Appendices, Knight & Co, 90 Fleet Street, London. Digitised and in Public Domain The Housing of the Working Classes Act 1894 amended the financial provisions of part 2 of the principal Act.

The 1900 Act

This act was an extension to the 1890 Act to empower authorities (other than rural district councils) under part 3 of the 1890 Act to acquire land for housing purposes outside the area over which they have jurisdiction, and permitting metropolitan borough councils, if they so desire, to become authorities under part 3 of the principal Act.

Implications

This gave local authorities the legal power to buy land through compulsory purchase and to construct tenements and housing estates. Part 3 of the principal Act allowed the Council to:

References

External links

Guide to the reports of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working Classes.
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1900 Housing in the United Kingdom Housing legislation in the United Kingdom {{UK-statute-stub