The most significant item scheduled for discussion by The Holborn District Management Committee on 8 January 2025 was a report on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2025/26. The Committee was also scheduled to co-opt representatives from local Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs).

Housing Revenue Account Budget 2025/26

A report titled January DMC HRA budget 2025/26 and Rent Setting Report¹ by the Director of Finance was presented to the committee. This report detailed the proposed budget for Camden Council's Housing Revenue Account for 2025/26, and sought the committee's views on rent and service charge increases.

The report argued that the HRA was facing significant financial pressures,

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

and that without additional funding from central government, the council would be forced to make some difficult decisions in setting the 2025/26 budget.

The report listed a number of factors that were increasing the costs faced by the HRA, including:

• Inflation.
• An increase in employers' National Insurance contributions from April 2025.
• Increased depreciation costs, which are the costs the council must pay to ensure its housing stock is well maintained.
• Increased regulation through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which introduced Ofsted-style inspections of social housing providers.
• The need to replenish the HRA reserve, which had been depleted in recent years.

The report argued that the council had few options to address these pressures, stating:

There are only a few ways that the Council can fund budget pressures and restore the HRA reserve to more sustainable and prudent levels - by increasing rents and charges or by reducing budgets.

To balance the budget, the report proposed a rent increase of 2.7% for council tenants, the maximum allowed under the government's rent standard. The report also proposed a number of increases to tenants' service charges, but noted that if the proposed increases were not agreed to by the council's Cabinet, services would need to be scaled back to meet costs.

The report also sought the committee's views on a proposal to reduce heating charges by 35%, and on a number of proposed savings, including:

• Increasing the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) savings target for leaseholders by £0.3m.
• Increasing the MTFS savings target for bad debt provision by £0.1m.
• Increasing the MTFS savings target for commercial property income by £0.06m.
• Increasing the MTFS savings target for efficiencies within property management £0.14m.

Registration of Tenant and Resident Associations

The committee was asked to co-opt representatives from Camden's Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs) onto the committee.

Appendix A of the agenda papers listed all of the TRAs that were currently registered with the council, and the names of their nominated representatives to the committee, as well as the date of their last Annual General Meeting (AGM). These included:

• 25 Gresse Street RA
• Birkenhead Street Estate TRA
• Bourne Estate TRA
• Brunswick TRA
• Derby Lodge TRA
• Dudley Court TA
• Falcon TRA
• Flaxman Court TRA
• Gamages TRA
• Glynde Reach TRA
• Gordon Mansions TRA
• Medway Court
• New Calthorpe Estate TRA
• Red Lion TRA
• Seymour House TRA
• Trentishoe TRA
• Tybalds Close TRA

Appendix B listed the TRAs whose registration had lapsed in the last 12 months, and who would need to re-register if they wished to co-opt representatives onto the committee. This included:

• Gooch House TRA