Sheffield Independent – Thursday 15 August 1929
Houses by Direct Labour.
Conisborough’s Loan For £23,200.
The Conisborough Council propose to built houses by direct labour.
At their meeting, last night, they decided apply to the Ministry of Health for sanction to a loan of £23,200 for the purpose.
Mr. G. I. Webster at first expressed a doubt that the houses were necessary. He pointed to the large arrears rent on their present houses and said there were 52 Conisborough Housing Association houses empty Cadeby. He asked if it would not be better the rents of those houses be reduced so that they might be filled—17s 8d. a week seemed to him ridiculous, even if it was for rent and rates.
It was stated, in reply, that there were 600 to 700 names on the waiting list, and 150 to 200 those were genuine applicants for Council houses.
60 Houses to Build.
The Chairman (Mr. A. Roberts) “It is fair to say we have about 200 houses which a progressive authority would not allow.”
Private enterprise could not provide houses, and they, as a Council, bad to it, he said.
The Surveyor (Mr. H. Thirlwall) said that after 30 September the local authorities would be the only parties privileged to carry on with the aid the Government subsidy. According to their original 1919 scheme the Council would still have 60 houses to build after this hatch was completed, and they would then not have enough.
They had, at present, 95 absolutely unfit houses.
The Conisborough Housing Association houses were exclusively for the employees of the colliery company.
Mr. Webster said he was satisfied.