Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes

The budgetary context for the medium term is challenging with the Council needing resources to meet three key priorities; 1) building homes; 2) maintaining high quality housing stock; and 3) delivering a new standard in resident safety.  These challenges have been exacerbated by Government imposed annual rent reductions of 1% resulting in the need for savings, simply to balance the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget. 

Good quality housing is a key contributor to a number of Camden Plan objectives including providing sustainable neighbourhoods, reducing health inequalities and supporting complex families.  Cabinet decisions are required to produce a balanced HRA budget and in order to set the levels of rent and service charges and to update the medium term financial strategy to ensure it remains able to support the council’s key housing priorities.

Consideration was given to a report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes and to a late addendum setting out the views of the District Management Committees.

RESOLVED –

THAT, having considered the views of the District Management Committees (Appendix G) and the Housing Scrutiny Committee, the following be agreed and that, subject to the agreement of the Chair of Housing Scrutiny Committee, the following decisions be exempted from call in to facilitate the notice of rent change being given to tenants:

(i)           The Housing Revenue Account budget for 2019/20 (Appendix A of the report) be approved;

(ii)          The implementation of the Government mandated reduction of council rents by 1% from April 2019 (paragraph 2.1 of the report) be confirmed;

(iii)         The updated Medium Term Financial Strategy (paragraph 2.3 of the report) be agreed and the revised MTFS savings target detailed in paragraph 2.4 and Appendix B of the report be noted;

(iv)         The revised tenant service charges for Caretaking, Communal Lighting, Mobile Security and Communal Mechanical and Electrical Maintenance (paragraph 3.1 of the report) be agreed;

(v)          A new service charge of £2.10/week for an enhanced CCTV service, to be levied from the April following the installation of a new CCTV service (paragraph 3.4 of the report), be agreed;

(vi)         That the Heating Pool scales remain unchanged and the surplus generated on bulk gas sites be refunded to tenants (paragraph 3.6 and Appendix E of the report);

(vii)       The revised service charges in the Housing Revenue Account hostels and supported housing (paragraph 3.7 and Appendix C of the report) be agreed;

(viii)      The revised Leaseholder Administration Charges (paragraph 3.8 and Appendix D of the report) be agreed.

ACTION BY:             Executive Director Supporting People

For the reasons set out in the report.