Management, policy planning and allocation of public housing

Unique IDAY-0004Description*** This activity applies to the City of Sydney only ***

Management and administration of housing constructed or acquired to provide affordable rental accommodation for city residents, particularly workers and their families. This activity includes the process of allocating public housing to persons who applied for it.

This activity does not include management of commercial (non-residential) tenancies of Council property (see activity A20).

This activity seems to have arisen out of the slum clearances that took place in the Rocks in an attempt to deal with the bubonic plague. The first mention of Council wanting to build dwellings for workmen was on 19 February 1901 when a motion to ask the Government to "reserve sufficient lands in the area known as the Rocks and to vest the same in the Council for the purpose of enabling it to build workmen's dwellings thereon", was withdrawn. [Proceedings of Council 1901, page 36.] However, on 30 April 1901 Council resolved to ask the City Solicitor to prepare a Bill for the "Better Housing of the Working Classes in the City of Sydney". [Proceedings of Council page 71].

This Draft Bill was adopted on 29 January 1902. [Proceedings of Council, page 32]. The Town Clerk in his Annual Report for that year noted that "it is necessary for the public health that many ... houses, courts, and alleys should be pulled down, and such portions of the City should be reconstructed; and that in connection with the reconstruction of those portions of the said City it is expedient that provision be made for dwellings for the working classes, who may be displaced in consequence thereof". [Town Clerk's Report 1902, page 29].

However, it was not until the enactment of the Housing Act 1912 that Council was given the power to construct public housing.

When the function of Public Housing was transferred to the State Government in 1988 (along with the Council's public housing stock), many of the records were also transferred. Even though the City had lost its Public Housing stock in 1988, the Council for some time continued its interest in Public Housing. In 1990, the Council established the Housing Sub-Committee under the Planning Commitee II to develop a comprehensive housing policy; examine the effectiveness of the use of planning instruments in the retention and extension of low income housing; and investigate opportunities for co-operative housing and the expansion of low income housing in the City of Sydney. The Housing Sub-Committee continued until 31 August 1993 when the it's functions were delegated to the Planning Committee III. From this point, Council's role in housing policy and planning activities seems to be less pro-active but continued its consulting/liaising role with Housing Government Departments, groups and associations.CreationMinutes of Council: Motion from Alderman Fitzgerald 19 February 1901.
Housing Act 1912: Empowered Council to construct public housing within the City boundaries.AbolitionResolution of Council 22 Nov 1988: Housing stock transferred to NSW Department of Housing for token payment.

Series

Records of the Green Square Project

Acts and Gazettes Book

Register of Applicants for Public Housing

Newtown Correspondence and Subject Files

Properties Committee Agenda Papers

Properties and Housing Committee Agenda Papers

Works and Housing Committee Agenda Papers

Properties, Housing and Works Committee Agenda Papers

Reports from Special Public Meetings of South Sydney Municipal Council

Planning Committee II & III Agenda Papers

General Correspondence and Subject Files

Central Activity Files

Town Clerk's Correspondence Files [South Sydney Municipal Council]

Miscellaneous Files [South Sydney Municipal Council]

General Correspondence Files [South Sydney Municipal Council]

City Engineer's Photographic Negatives

City Planning Department Negatives

Town Clerk's Department Correspondence Files [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Town Clerk's Correspondence Folders

Minutes of the Finance Committee I [Municipal Council of Sydney]

Minutes of Special Committees [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Minutes of Council [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Description

Start date19th February 1901End date31st August 1993Relationship legacy dataRELATED TO: Public housing FN-0002 (19/02/1901 to 31/12/1988)

Identification

Source system ID4

Relationships

FunctionPublic housing

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Management, policy planning and allocation of public housing