This meeting was expected to feature discussion of the council's Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2025/26, including the proposal to increase rent in line with inflation and further service charge increases for tenants. The meeting was also scheduled to receive a report on the Housing Transformation Programme, and a response to concerns raised by residents at a previous meeting about the future of the Holmes Road Depot.

Housing Revenue Account Budget

The HRA budget for 2025/26 was predicted to be difficult. A report from Emma Cardoso, Team Leader (HRA & Capital Projects) for Supporting Communities, highlighted significant financial pressures on the HRA, including:

The overwhelming financial pressures, caused by the previous government’s austerity-driven policies, has jeopardised the funding of social housing across the country.

The report mentioned a Future of Social Housing report that had been signed by Camden and other Councils asking the Government for more financial support for social housing. The report also predicted that there will be a £3.5 million overspend in 2024/25, mainly due to rising repair costs. To address this, the Council is expected to seek to agree savings of £1.48 million from the Medium Term Financial Strategy, the council’s plan to deliver its priorities over the medium to long term.

The report proposed that tenant's rent is increased by the maximum amount permitted by the Government's Rent Standard, which would be 2.7%, because CPI inflation was 1.7% in September 2024.

The report also proposed that tenants service charges be increased to account for rising costs for caretaking, CCTV, communal mechanical and electrical equipment, grounds maintenance, and the responsive housing patrol. The report recommends that the cost of communal lighting should be frozen.

Housing Transformation update

A report from Glendine Shepherd, Director of Housing, provided an update on the Housing Transformation Programme. The report described the programme as a response to several challenges that are facing social housing providers. In particular the report highlighted:

• the financial precariousness of the Housing Revenue Account, which ring-fences the money the council receives in rent and service charges so that it can only be spent on council housing.
• new regulations from the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023
• the need to invest heavily to meet the Decent Homes Standard.¹
• the ambition to use the programme to achieve a higher standard of service than the minimum that is required by the regulator.

To address these challenges, the report proposed to:

• restructure the Housing Service to provide four teams focused on Quality Homes, Housing Services, Resident-centred change, and Living Within Our Means.
• ensure that the council meets its regulatory obligations.
• make it easier for residents to contact the Housing Service.
• produce an Asset Management Strategy.
• develop a Relational Practice Model to help Housing staff better understand the needs of residents.
• deliver a Housing & Property Digital Change Programme to improve the Housing Service's digital tools and systems.
• improve the quality and availability of data about the Housing Service and its tenants.
• work with the council's Neighbourhoods Programme to provide place-based services.
• develop a new model for Tenant Participation.
• improve the process for managing void properties.

Progress report on the Regeneration Strategy for Regis Road

A report from Gavin Sexton, Area Regeneration Manager, sought to address concerns raised at a previous meeting about the future of the Holmes Road Depot.

The report explained that the council entered into an agreement in 2023 to sell the Holmes Road Depot site to Yoo Capital, a property development and investment company. In return for the land, Yoo Capital agreed to build new facilities for the council, including a new depot, and to deliver 25 new homes on the site. The plans are part of the council's wider Regis Road Regeneration Strategy, which proposes the redevelopment of the whole of the Regis Road area. Yoo Capital has submitted a masterplan for the area, named the Camden Film Quarter, which proposes the development of film studios, creative workspaces, 50% affordable new homes, and community spaces. Camden Council is preparing supplementary planning guidance for the area, to guide how the masterplan will be implemented. A public consultation on the guidance was expected to begin in early November 2024.

The report noted that if Yoo Capital is successful in receiving planning permission, the new facilities at Holmes Road are not expected to be ready until 2028/29, so the existing facilities would be expected to continue to be used until then.

Holborn DMC Budget Report

This report from Stanton La Foucade, Tenant Participation Coordinator, provided an update on the Holborn DMC budget, which is used to fund resident-led projects. The report noted that £127,325.49 of the DMC's £148,080 budget was still unspent. The report also contained two new bids for funding:

• The Brunswick Tenants and Residents Association requested £4,900 to buy 8 new picnic tables to be installed at Foundling Court and O’Donnel Court
• The Flaxman Court TRA requested £19,750 to fund phase 2 of communal garden improvements at Flaxman Court. The TRA proposed that the improvements be delivered by Spencer Noll of The Gentle Gardener, who had delivered the first phase of improvements to the garden in July 2024 using a previous DMC grant.

Property Services and Housing Management - repairing and letting our properties.

This report from Gavin Haynes, Director of Property Services, was provided for information. The report provides a detailed description of the council's management of void properties.

The report noted that at the time of writing, there were 429 properties in Camden that were empty and in the process of being prepared to be let to new tenants. In addition to these, a further 167 properties were empty, but not in the letting process. 42 of these were being used to house residents decanted from their homes on the Chalcots Estate because of fire safety works.

The report also described recent changes to the void management process intended to speed up the process of reletting properties.

Holborn DMC_Action Points Arising from September 2024

This report provided a detailed update on the council's responses to issues raised at the previous meeting of the committee. The report included an update on an action agreed at the previous meeting to provide a report on the future of the Holmes Road Depot, which was included as a separate report on the agenda for this meeting. The report also included an update on the status of void properties on the Tybalds Estate.