Purpose

Camden stands ready to welcome refugees, and always has. We have
a long and proud history of welcoming people who are displaced from
all around the world as they flee conflict, disaster, and
persecution.
 
The Council has been awarded capital funding from Department of
Housing, Levelling Up and Communities (DHLUC) through its Local
Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) to provide affordable homes to rent
for refugees.
 
The Council has completed 125 new mixed tenure homes on the Agar
Grove Estate through its Community Investment Programme (CIP). It
is proposed to apply this funding to change twenty-nine of these
new homes, which were originally designated as private sale, to
affordable housing for refugees. These affordable homes would then
be transferred to Camden Living Ltd (CLL) on an operational lease
to sublet to refugee households under Assured Shorthold Tenancies
(ASTs).
 
The report presents the heads of terms for the lease agreement
and supporting arrangements between Council and CLL. Subject to
further decision making by CLL the proposed approach will enable
the Council to meet the terms of the DHLUC grant and the needs of
eligible refugee households over the medium term. In the longer
term, the homes will remain as intermediate affordable housing
under Council ownership.
 
 

Content

1.       That the
Executive Director Supporting Communities, acting in their
corporate capacity, in consultation with the Executive Director
Corporate Services, the Head of Property and the Borough
Solicitor’s representative agrees to the Council:

a.       Disposing of
twenty-nine new CIP homes at Agar Grove at best consideration by
way of a market value operating lease to CLL to be used to support
the delivery of refugee housing, in accordance with the heads of
terms set out in appendix A and summarised in section 2 of this
report.

b.       Authorising the
Director of Development, in consultation with the Borough
Solicitor’s representative, to take all associated actions
reasonably necessary to complete and support the transaction,
including entering into the Relationship Agreement set out in
Appendix A and summarised in section 2 of this report.

c.       Amending the
Council’s Service Contracts with CLL to provide landlord
services on behalf of CLL in respect of the twenty-nine Agar Grove
homes for refugees.

d.       Delivering
directly to each refugee household the Tenancy Support Offer
commitment set out in paragraph 2.4 of this report.
 

2.       That the
Executive Director Supporting Communities, as the Council’s
nominated Shareholder Representative for Camden Living, in
consultation with the Executive Director Corporate Services,
Cabinet Member for Jobs & Homes and Community Investment,
Cabinet Member for Better Homes and Cabinet Member for Finance and
Cost of Living, and the Borough Solicitor’s representative,
gives Reserved Matters approval to CLL under its Governance
Agreement with Camden Living Group Ltd to CLL entering the lease
referred to in Recommendation 1 and any associated documents
together with   all associated business
planning supporting CLL entering into the transaction.