Housing Act 1957

157 Official representations

(1) The medical officer of health of a local authority shall make an official representation to the authority whenever he is of the opinion that any house in their district is unfit for human habitation, or that any area in their district is an area which should be dealt with as a clearance area.

(2) If any justice of the peace acting for the district of a local authority or, in the case of a rural district, the parish council of any parish within that area, complain to the medical officer of health in writing that any house is unfit for human habitation or that any area should be dealt with as a clearance area, it shall be his duty forthwith to inspect that house or that area and to make a report to the local authority, stating the facts of the case and whether, in his opinion, the house is unfit for human habitation or whether, in his opinion, the area should be dealt with as a clearance area, but the absence of any such complaint shall not excuse him from inspecting any house or area or making a representation thereon to the local authority.

(3) A local authority shall as soon as may be take into consideration any official representation which has been made to them.

(4) In this Act, the expression " official representation " means in the case of any local authority a representation made to that authority by the medical officer thereof, and includes also, in the case of the council of a rural district or of an urban district not containing according to the last published census a population of more than ten thousand, a representation made by the medical officer of health of the county to the county council and forwarded by them to the council of the district, and, in the case of the council of a metropolitan borough, a representation made by the medical officer of health of the County of London to the London County Council and forwarded by them to the borough council.

(5) Every representation made by a medical officer of health in pursuance of this Act shall be in writing.