This meeting was scheduled to include a discussion of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2025/26, and an update on the Housing Transformation programme. Updates on the Regis Road Regeneration Strategy, the CCTV programme, and the repairs and voids services were also scheduled to be provided.

The meeting was also scheduled to include consideration of a funding bid from Harben Estate Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) for match funding towards improvements to the estate's green space and children’s play area.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget

A report from the Executive Director of Supporting Communities was scheduled to be provided to update the committee on the 2025/26 budget-setting process.

This report provides an update on Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 2025/26 Budget Setting progress ahead of the January Joint DMC meeting at which DMC representatives will be asked to provide feedback on proposals. - DMC Report_HRA Finance_Nov 2024_1

The report describes several pressures on the Housing Revenue Account, including:

• An overspend of £3.5m in 2024/25, due to higher than expected costs associated with repairs, insurance, depreciation of assets and interest rates.
• A predicted rent increase of up to 2.7% in 2025/26.
• Service charge increases for tenants.
• A predicted deficit in the heating pool.

The report also lists some savings that are expected to be achieved, including from increased garage rents, rental income from reletting commercial properties, and from the Housing Transformation programme.

Housing Transformation Programme

The Committee was scheduled to receive a report on the Housing Transformation Programme from the Director of Housing.

The purpose of this paper is to update the DMCs on progress of the Housing Transformation programme, raise awareness of key pieces of work and immediate priorities within the programme. - DMC Report_Housing Transformation_Nov 2024

The report describes the rationale of the Housing Transformation Programme, explaining that:

The scale and challenge of improving Camden’s housing stock and services cannot be underestimated.

The report describes the causes of this challenge as including the poor financial state of the Housing Revenue Account, the poor state of repair of many of Camden's properties, and the increasing demands of the regulator.

Despite these positive steps, the challenge remains that the level of investment needed to fully achieve compliance is far in excess of the available budgets and capacity to deliver the work.

The report describes the progress of the Housing Transformation Programme so far, and the workstreams and priorities of the programme going forwards. It also describes the recent restructure of the Housing Service.

Hampstead DMC Budget Report

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the Hampstead DMC budget from Stanton La Foucade, Tenant Participation Co-Ordinator.

The report notes that the budget for 2024/25 is £156,610.00, of which £128,968.00 remained unspent.

It outlines the rules around underspends and overspends, noting that in the normal course of events, unspent budget cannot be carried forward from one year to the next.

It calls on TRAs to submit their bids as early as possible, noting that late bids cannot be considered.

The report includes one new bid for the Committee to consider from Harben Estate TRA for £40,000 of match funding for improvements to the estate's green space and children's play area. The report notes that these works will be partly funded by the Hampstead CIL¹ Greening Infrastructure programme.

The report also includes a list of all bids approved in-year to date. This includes bids from:

• Webheath Estate TRA for £6,800.00 for the installation of grid fencing.
• Sidney Boyd Court TRA for £9,282.00 for the refurbishment of the TRA hall, stairs and new furniture.
• Lymington Road TRA for £2,560.00 for four garden benches
• Taplow TRA for £9,000.00 for hall flooring and decorating

Property Services and Housing Management - repairing and letting our properties

The committee was scheduled to receive an information report on the repairs and voids services.

The report states that at the time of writing there were 429 empty properties in Camden that were in the process of being repaired and re-let.

It states that:

There was a presentation of the data and the process in which a property has works carried out and is relet at the DMC meeting held on 29th October 2024.

The report also describes the work that is being undertaken to reduce the number of empty properties. This includes:

• bringing in additional resources to carry out the repairs.
• advertising properties for letting as soon as they have been surveyed and are confirmed as needing only minor works.
• recruiting to new lettings teams.
• starting the advertising, shortlisting and viewings processes during the repairs period.
• holding twice-weekly meetings with all teams involved in the repairs and lettings process.
• agreeing a 'lettable standard' so that everyone involved in the process is clear on what works will be carried out and to what standard.
• visiting tenants who are moving from one council property to another to provide moving home advice and to carry out an inspection of works so that repairs can be ordered immediately when the property becomes empty.
• carrying out a 'new tenant survey' three months after new tenants move in.
• reviewing the cost of works to bring properties up to the lettable standard.

Update on Performance Management

A report was scheduled to be considered that provides an update on the work that is underway to create a new set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Housing Service.

This report provides an update on the ongoing work to implement the Housing Service's KPIs. - DMC Report_Performance KPIs_Nov2024

The report states that the Housing service is moving towards a data and insight driven approach. It goes on to explain that this is necessary because:

When ARK² carried out a mock inspection against the likely regulatory requirements they identified that our current KPIs and LPIs which are reported monthly need to be more “outcome-focused.”

The report sets out how the new KPIs will be developed in a way that will allow the service to be more outcome focused. It also describes the future digital systems that will allow the service to meet these goals.

The report pack also includes a list of KPIs that were being used by the service in 2024, and a dashboard summarizing the performance of the Property Management service for the first three quarters of the 2023/24 financial year.

CCTV programme

The Committee was scheduled to receive an update on the CCTV programme. The report was requested by the DMC chairs in order to understand how estates without CCTV might be added to the network.

The DMC Chairs requested an update on the programme and how estates without CCTV would be considered for addition to the network - DMC Report_CCTV_Nov 2024

The report explains that:

The work to renew the CCTV network continues at pace.

It explains that of the 55 estates originally identified for upgrade, 23 have already been completed, and 77% of cameras have now been replaced.

The report describes Camden's current policy on the use of CCTV, and how decisions are made on where to install cameras. It explains that residents on estates with CCTV pay a maintenance charge of £1.14 a week, and that once the new cameras have been installed there is an additional charge of £1.12 a week for 7 years. It notes that for estates not currently on the network:

If the funding can be accommodated then tenants and leaseholders would need to be consulted on the service charge that would be levied for the installation on their estate.

The report calls on TRAs that are interested in having CCTV installed on their estate to raise this at future DMC meetings.

Progress report on the Regeneration Strategy for Regis Road

A report was scheduled for consideration providing an update on the Regis Road Regeneration Strategy, and the re-provision of the Homes Road Depot.

This report provides a summary update on the re-provision of the Holmes Road Depot as part of the Regeneration Strategy for Regis Road - DMC Report_Holmes Road_Nov 2024

The report explains that in 2017 the Regis Road area was designated a Growth Area in the Camden Local Plan, and in 2020 the Kentish Town Planning Framework was adopted. It explains that in November 2022 the Council agreed a Regeneration Strategy for Regis Road, and that in March 2023 the Council entered into a conditional land sale agreement with Yoo Capital to dispose of its two sites in the area: the Holmes Road Depot and a site on Regis Road.

The report states that the disposal is conditional on Yoo Capital achieving planning permission, and seamlessly re-providing the facilities currently on the sites. It explains that Yoo Capital has now prepared a masterplan vision for the area called the Camden Film Quarter, anchored by new film studios.

There will also be new homes, 50% of which will be affordable on land in Yoo Capital ownership, open spaces, new routes and connections and social infrastructure to support the local community.

The report sets out the next stages of the project, explaining that a draft Camden Planning Guidance (CPG) document, incorporating Yoo Capital's masterplan will be subject to public consultation starting in early November. Following that consultation the Council is scheduled to make a decision on whether to adopt the masterplan as an addendum to the Kentish Town Planning Framework.

The report states that Yoo Capital's preference is to re-provide all of the council facilities on the site in their current form, and in the immediate area. It explains that Camden's area regeneration team is supporting Yoo Capital in developing these options.

The Council has a large in-house repairs team and it is important that the new facilities meet its current and foreseeable needs – as a result the repairs service is directly involved, along with other service areas – on the size and layout of the space that is re-provided. It is also the case that the layout of Holmes Road does not always support efficient working and teams are spread out across different offices across the site. This work provides a significant opportunity to redesign how the service is located and support better working across teams.

The report concludes by stating that should planning permission be granted, the new facilities are unlikely to be ready before 2028/29.