(By Councillor L. Perkins, M.B.E.)

  Twenty-five years ago, owing to trade depression, a fairly large number of houses in Rushden remained unoccupied, but during the next five years a change took place and by 1913 there was a decided shortage.  The Council then took advantage of an Act of Parliament of 1890, entitled “Housing of the Working Classes,” enabling local authorities to raise loans for the erection of houses to be let at an economic rent.  For this purpose a loan of £9,436 at 3½ per cent. was raised in 1914 and 41 houses were erected in King’s-road.

  Then came the War… destruction instead of construction.  In 1920 the Newton-road Housing Estate was obtained under the Assisted Housing Scheme, often called the “Addison Scheme,” and the 98 houses on this estate were built at great expense and let at a rent far below the economic rent.  The entire cost of this scheme is borne by the Government less the product of a penny rate, which is about £233.  The balance is met by a Government payment of £3,858 per annum.

  In 1923-4, under the 1923 Act (Chamberlain) 38 houses were built on the Newton-road Estate, and these houses are subsidised by a Government grant of £6 per annum for each house for a period of 20 years.

A Larger Grant

  All parties on the Council, enlarged to 18 members, felt that this progress was too slow.  Under the Act of 1924 (Wheatley) a larger grant of £9 per annum for 40 years was obtainable from the Government on condition that the local authority should provide £4  10s. per annum, and in 1925, under this Act, the Council built 22 houses on the Newton-road Estate and 16 on a small site in Irchester-road.

  Then it was felt that the time was ripe for the development of the large estate of about 50 acres, the Irchester-road Estate, purchased from Mr. H. Sartoris, and during the six years 1926-31 rapid progress was made, over 300 houses being erected.

  The financial crisis of 1931 caused a severe check upon all local enterprises, and during 1932 only 12 more houses were erected.  The Council, however, continued to develop the roads on this Estate, and have recently obtained sanction for 56 houses to be erected.  The construction of these should commence immediately as the tenders have been accepted and these 56 will give a grand total of 602 Council houses in Rushden.

An Omission

  There is, however, one regrettable omission, through no fault of the Council, and that is the provision of school accommodation for the children of the Irchester-road Estate.  The County Education Authority purchased a site which had been expressly reserved by the Urban Council for this purpose and plans were drawn by the County Education Committee and submitted to the Board of Education.

  The 1931 financial upheaval, with the consequent change of Government, has delayed the scheme temporarily but every effort will be made locally, by the Council and by the District Education sub-Committee, to have this necessary work done as soon as possible.  For the younger children it is a matter of grave urgency.

  In conclusion, the Rushden Urban Council has endeavoured to meet the growing demand for houses without indulging in any wild or wasteful schemes.  Care has been exercised in the selection of tenants and those who bore the “heat and burden of battle” have not been neglected and cases of hardship have been carefully considered.  The members of the Council feel that they have a body of tenants of which any town might be proud, and that there will be beneficial results in the health and happiness of the community.

A Summary

  The following table is a summary of the housing schemes carried out by the Rushden Urban Council:-