The Gospel Oak District Management Committee is scheduled to meet on 27 November 2025 at the Maitland Park Community Centre ¹. The agenda includes discussion of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) rent and budget setting for 2026/27, the Gospel Oak DMC budget, and a tenant engagement report. The committee will also consider local issues and register tenant representatives.

HRA Rent and Budget Setting 2026/27

The committee is scheduled to discuss the HRA rent and budget setting for the upcoming financial year. According to the report of the Strategic Finance Lead – Housing, Emma Cardoso, this discussion will inform a further report to the Joint District Management Committee and Cabinet in January 2026, where decisions on rent levels and charges for the HRA will be made.

The report pack highlights the financial challenges facing the HRA, including:

• An overspend of £7.3m predicted in 2025/26, mainly due to pressures on repairs and mechanical and electrical budgets.
• The impact of changes to the self-financing model, with the HRA having lost £201m of rental income since 2016 compared to what it would have received under the previous policy of CPI + 1%.
• The cost of new regulatory pressures, such as fire safety and building safety regulations.

The report pack mentions that the government has announced a 10-year rent settlement from April 2026, allowing rents to increase by CPI + 1% per annum. It also notes a government consultation on 'Rent Convergence', which would allow rents below 'formula rent' to increase by an additional amount each year. The report pack states that in Camden, 99% of properties are below formula rent, with an average gap of £19.49 per week.

The report pack sets out potential rent increases for 2026/27 based on the current rent standard of CPI (3.8% as of September 2025) plus 1%, which would allow a maximum increase of 4.8%. The report pack also models the impact of rent convergence, with potential increases of £1 or £2 per week on top of the CPI + 1% increase.

The report pack also notes that tenants pay fixed service charges for services such as caretaking, grounds maintenance and CCTV, and that these charges may need to increase to cover inflationary pressures.

The report pack states that the committee will be asked for its views on the council's strategy to consider rent and service charge increases from April 2026 at the joint DMC meeting in January.

Gospel Oak DMC Budget

The committee is scheduled to discuss the Gospel Oak DMC budget for 2025/26. According to the report of the Head of Tenancy Services, the minor revenue and major works budget for 2025/2026 is £151,040.00.

The report pack states that Tenant and Resident Associations are encouraged to submit bids for funding as early as possible, and that all expenditure must occur within the current financial year. The report pack also reminds Tenant and Resident Associations to use the Special Projects Grant for social activities, which has a £750 limit.

The report pack notes that there are no new bids for consideration at the November 2025 meeting. However, the committee may be asked to approve a request to meet a VAT shortfall of £3250.28 on an approved bid for the installation of Metro Bins at Dunboyne Estate ².

The report pack also provides an update on itemised bids approved to date, including a £3,740.00 bid for a programme of well-being activities for sheltered residents at Gospel Oak Sheltered Housing.

Tenant Engagement Report Quarter 2, 2025/26

The committee is scheduled to receive the Tenant Engagement Report for Quarter 2, 2025/26, prepared by Scot Reid, Head of Customer Service and Engagement. The report shares insights and recommendations from the quarterly monitoring of tenant engagement activities and forums supported by Housing and Property Services.

The report pack includes:

• Evaluation of resident feedback from engagement activities, including Neighbourhood Action Days at Peckwater Estate ³, St Pancras, Holborn and Holly Lodge Estate ⁴, Annual General Meetings of Ingestre Rd TRA and Spencer Rise TRA, a Building Safety Consultation Event, the Sheltered Housing Forum and the Gospel Oak DMC.
• Information on applications to the Special Projects Grant and the District Management Committee Fund.
• Stories of Impact, including the development and distribution of Building Safety Information Packs and the summer programme of Neighbourhood Action Days.

The report pack notes that the most common motivations for tenants attending engagement events this quarter are to voice opinions, ideas, or concerns, to resolve housing or repairs enquiries, and to connect with others in the community. The report pack also notes that 77% of respondents reported enjoying or very much enjoying the engagement activity they attended.

The report pack includes suggestions for improvement, such as increasing the frequency of Neighbourhood Action Days, providing access to council organisation charts online, and increasing the range of services at Neighbourhood Action Days.

Registration of Tenants' Associations and Co-option of Tenant Representatives

The committee will consider a list of registered tenant and resident associations (TRAs) and co-opt representatives onto the DMC. The report pack includes a list of TRAs that have satisfactorily completed the registration process, as well as a list of TRAs whose registrations have lapsed. To register, a TRA must hold an Annual General Meeting open to all members, with an independent observer in attendance, and submit the minutes, a membership list, and a completed registration form to the Tenant Participation Team.

Other Items

The agenda also includes:

• Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 September 2025.
• Discussion of local issues.