Agenda and minutes

Appendix A lists those Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations (TRAs), which have satisfactorily completed the registration process at the date of despatch of this agenda. It gives details of the representatives of those Associations to be co-opted onto the DMC, in accordance with the constitution, together with the names of the substitutes.

Appendix B lists those TRAs whose registrations have lapsed. If a TRA wishes to register it must hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM), open to all members, once a year (with an independent observer in attendance). The minutes must be sent to the Tenant Participation Team together with a membership list and a completed registered form.

The ‘A’ and ‘B’ lists were noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Josh Cedar (Holly Lodge TRA)

Hugh Boatswain, Senior Tenant Participation Officer, advised that he was unable to attend the meeting.

The Chair announced that Hugh Boatswain, Senior Tenant Participation Officer, was retiring. The DMC commended Hugh for all the work he had done for the Kentish Town DMC and the residents of Camden and thanked him for his service.

There were no such declarations.

There were no notifications of urgent business.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Kentish Town District Management Committee held on 5^th September 2023.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting of the last meeting.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th September 2023 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The DMC is asked to note the progress of the action points arising from the previous meeting.

Consideration was given to the actions arising from the previous meeting.

Duties of Chair and Vice-Chair

The details provided were noted, however additional information was sought on training and development opportunities that were available for DMC Chairs and Vice-Chairs. This was an important consideration as a new Chair and Vice-Chairs may be elected next year. The meeting requested that this information be provided to a future meeting of the DMC.

          ACTION: Tenant Participation

All DMC Special Meeting – Voids

Jane McWilliams, Brookfield TRA (Vice-Chair) had attended the deep dive meeting that had taken place on 8^th November 2023 and reported back on some of the key points raised at the meeting.

The Vice-Chair reported that information on repairs, voids, mutual exchange and downsizing were provided at the meeting, which had proved very useful and informative. The Vice-Chair noted that the meeting had been a beneficial opportunity to gain further understanding of various housing processes and it was hoped that further sessions would be held in future.

DMC Members made the following comments:

·       If a tenant moved out of a property works were repair and improvement works were undertaken before a new tenant moved in, however if a property was mutually exchanged the resident would have to take it ‘as is’ which seemed unfair.

·       It would be useful for clear guidance on policies and processes regarding mutual exchange and downsizing, as well as clear information on the available cash and other incentives to be provided to residents.

·       It would be useful to have a report to the next DMC on the information provided and the discussion that took place at special DMC meeting.

Officers provided the following information in response to questions:

·       Essential repair work was always carried out prior to mutual exchange, as needed, however any works and repairs that residents were responsible for would not be fixed. 

·       Repairs and Better Homes works were undertaken based on the condition of a property, not age. Electrical tests and other safety checks would be carried out to check the condition of a property.

·       Information about home swaps and downsizing and the tenants guide, which had recently been updated, were available online. A leaflet was also being produced, which promoted mutual exchanges and downsizing and all the incentives and help available for these.

·       It was understood that whilst cash-based incentives were appealing, sometimes more practical support would be preferred such as with moving, switching utilities, and decorating. As such, the Council had two officers who assisted residents with this and options for extending this support were being explored.

·       The presentation that was shown at special DMC deep dive meeting would be shared for discussion at the next meeting of the DMC.

ACTION: Head of Innovation and Improvement

Repairs, CIP, and Better Homes Update

The meeting were informed that due to the reporting period on these areas, this work would be best placed to take place during the second quarter of 2024.

The Action Point Update was noted.

Report of the Team Leader (HRA & Capital Projects).

Consideration was given to the report of the Team Leader (HRA & Capital Projects).

The Team Leader (HRA & Capital Projects) introduced the report and advised that the charges outlined in the report would be voted on at the all DMC rent setting meeting scheduled to take place in January 2024.

It was reported that the HRA reserve stood at £23 million. Furthermore, under the triple lock, pensions would go up by the 8.5% and benefits would go up by 6.7%, in line with the Consumer Prices Index.

DMC Members made the following comments:

• Rent payments go into the HRA, but there did not seem to be money available to fund important works, such as mould and damp repairs, and a large amount of money was being spent on internal borrowing.
• Essential or emergency maintenance work was not enough for some properties, as there were residents living in flats that were in disrepair and in desperate need of updates.
• Damp and mould was inevitable with the levels of overcrowding some residents experienced. It was appalling that government was not funding these essential repairs things, especially in the wake of Grenfell and child’s death cause by damp and mould in Rochdale.
• 30% of council tenants did not receive any benefits and the proposed rent increases could have a huge impact on those residents. The increase would have to be paid for out of their own pocket and many residents who worked would not receive an increase in their wages in line with inflation. A tapered system should be given consideration to lessen the burden on those residents.
• Those in receipt of a pension will also be worse off after the increases to rent and council tax.
• The impact of the Building Safety Act was expected to be far reaching and expensive. DMC Members would be interested to see how departments were adapting to these changes and residents should be informed on the Act and how it would impact service delivery and departments going forward. The proposed tenants conference could provide an opportunity to hear more about this. 

ACTION: Head of Innovation and Improvement

Officers provided the following information in response to questions:

• Whilst gas prices had decreased, the supply had a large deficit as the reserve supply had previously been used to bring down costs to residents, therefore charges may not decrease so reserves could be replenished.
• The HRA borrowed both externally and internally.
• Some of the external debt included loans from the Public Works Loan Board, which would be paid back over 50 years. However, interest rates were increasing on all borrowing, including internal, which had resulted in increased costs.
• Camden’s housing strategy placed importance on maintaining existing stock, through the Community Investment Programme (CIP) and the Better Homes programme, but it was also considered important to build new homes as well.  
• The Better Homes programme included kitchen and bathroom refits but also works on roofs and windows.
• Maintaining properties was import and it was a huge responsibility to keep homes in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

Report of the Director of Public Safety.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Community Safety.

DMC Members raised the following concerns:

• Some DMC Members had experienced serious issues with crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) on their estate and felt that these issues had not been suitably addressed.
• Some estates would have lower reports, despite crime and ASB being prevalent due to residents being reluctant to report due to not wanting to get involved or due to fear of consequences. 
• Some residents had consistently reported issues but had become tired of continuously having to make reports and had found it incredibly draining, especially as they had not seen any of the issues resolved.
• Residents had experienced lots of issues such as theft, ASB, and drug use and had been put into situations where they were forced to take action due to concerns for their safety and lack of support from the authorities, which was unacceptable.
• Young people were being drawn into crime from young ages, as there were no more services available to them, such as youth clubs.
• It was noted that sometimes when police presence was increased on certain estates, the troublemakers would move on to a different area and bring issues to different estates.
• Sometimes patrols had been scheduled at times of the day when issues were not as apparent, so authorities did not have a full picture of some of the problems on the estates.
• It was imperative that there was cross authority working as some estates were pass throughs to get into Islington.
• DMC were concerned that the police were not sharing vital information about crime on estates with the Council, this needed to be addressed and improved.
• Anti-social behaviour was a problem for all residents, regardless of whether they were on an estate or in a street property. Some residents were living with serious issues but were too frightened to report them.
• DMC Members agreed that a special meeting on Crime and ASB would be beneficial for residents and requested that TRA Chairs be provided with further information.

ACTION: Community Safety/ Tenant Participation

The Community Presence Team Leader introduced the report and provided the following information in response to questions:

• Leaflets and door knocks had taken place on some estates to inform residents when estate action days were taking place, however action days had not yet been arranged for some estates but information on upcoming action days would follow in due course. 
• So far action days had taken place in Kentish Town on the Torriano, Rostock and Peckwater Estates.
• The action days had been well received so far, and residents had the opportunity to talk to officers from different services and some issues were able to be resolved on the day, for example some repairs had been undertaken on the spot, or they had been inspected and further work arranged for a later date.
• The Ingester Road Estate Action Day was scheduled to take place in January.
• Officers went with police on patrols of estates.  In the south of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

Report of the Director of Housing.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing.

The Head of Innovation and Improvement reported that the tenancy visiting programme had been halted as it was a very resource intensive, efforts had been focused instead on the estate visit programme.

Report of the Head of Leaseholder Services & Housing Income.

Consideration was given to the report of Head of Leaseholder Services & Housing Income.

DMC Members noted that the report briefly explained some of the issues that were causing tenants to struggle to pay rent but would have found it beneficial to have more information about this. It was requested that further detail on this be provided in future reports so that DMC Members could identify some of the biggest challenges residents were facing and discuss options for support. 

ACTION: Head of Leaseholder Services & Housing Income

Various issues relating to rent accounts were raised and DMC Members were reminded to contact rent team directly to discuss individual queries and problems.

The Head of Innovation and Improvement advised that there was usually more focus on those accounts that had higher arrears, but it was acknowledged that those who had accounts with smaller debts should be contacted quickly as it was important to provide advice and support to tenants who were at risk of falling further into debt. It was confirmed that benefits and welfare advice was provided to residents who fell into arrears.

Neighbourhood Managers to present.

The information provided in the agenda was noted.

Report of the Director of Property Services.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Property Services.

Responding to a point of clarification on the definition of a high risk or vulnerable resident, the Head of Innovation and Improvement advised the central government definition included children under the age of five, asthmatics, and people over the age of 85. The Head of Innovation and Improvement would confirm this definition and inform the DMC.

          ACTION:  Head of Innovation and Improvement

The meeting requested a breakdown of the causes of damp and mould, such as overcrowding, lifestyle, and ventilation issues, be provided within the next report as it was important to consider the causes of damp and mould so that services could identify issues and help prevent them in future. 

ACTION: Director of Property Services

Report of the Head of Capital Works.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Capital Works.

The meeting was advised that the Head of Capital Works was unable to attend the meeting, so if DMC Members had questions that could not be answered in the meeting, they would be noted and a written response provided.

The following points were noted: 

• A progress update was sought on the review of street properties.
• It was reported that there had been ongoing issue with the heating system on Whittington Estate and that individual heat metres had not yet been connected, despite a commitment to do so and residents were frustrated that they were paying for a heating system that did not work. An update was sought.
• The communal heating system at Holly Lodge had broken, leaving some residents without heat. The process to get the system repaired was unclear and conflicting information had been given to residents, which had meant that some residents had to act as intermediaries to coordinate the repair work.
• Information was sought on whether consideration had been given to assessing and improving energy efficiency in properties.

The Head of Property Asset Management provided the following information in response to questions:

• In terms of repairs to the heating system at Holly Lodge, it was clarified that contractors should undertake repairs on the spot when possible and provide a timeline for any additional works or repairs that will be required. Residents should have been provided with an alternative heat source.
• Further detail on this shall be provided so residents have a clear outline of the repairs process.

ACTION: Head of Property Asset Management

• Periodical checks were undertaken on heating systems to ensure that they worked correctly and were safe to use.
• Occasionally, repair work to heating systems was more complex due to different systems across different estates and sometimes a specialist was required to carry out the work. 

Report of the Head of Capital Works.

This item was deferred to a future meeting so that the outcomes and results of the stock condition surveys could be included. 

Report of the Head of Innovation & Improvement.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Innovation and Improvement. 

Ododo Daff, Head of Innovation and Improvement and Lydia Roberts, Strategic Lead presented the report and explained that Lydia would be leading on upcoming work on tenant engagement.

The following comments were made:

• The proposal was welcome as the last tenant conference had taken place nine years ago.
• The conference would be good opportunity to hear from residents and discuss the issues important to them.
• It would be useful to see positive examples of where residents have been engaged with and listened to.
• The conference would provide an opportunity to showcase the work that TRAs had done and a chance to hear positive news from residents and celebrate local projects and the time and effort put in by TRAs residents.
• It would be important to measure both successes and failures.
• It would be useful to look into things that haven’t gone too well and use these examples as learning opportunities to drive future improvement.

Petra Dando (CASP), Steve Barton (Holly Lodge Residents Association) and Jane McWilliams (Brookfield TRA) volunteered to be part of a working group to assist with the organisation of the conference. John Cowley (Camden Square TRA) was nominated to contribute due to his campaign work on Council Housing.

The Head of Innovation and Improvement advised that a working group would be set up and it would be beneficial to also hear from residents who were not formally involved in TRAs, DMCs or other resident processes.

Report of the Head of Neighbourhoods.

In line with the DMC funding guidelines, TRAs will be asked to provide an update to the meeting regarding the progress of agreed bids, including an update on the associated spend. TRAs are invited to circulate any relevant information in advance through the clerk.

TRAs are encouraged to submit bids as soon as possible, so they can be properly assessed and prepared by officers, ready for submission to the DMC. TRAs are reminded that verbal bids cannot be accepted at DMC meetings as, in line with the guidelines, officers need to be able to assess bids before passing them to the DMC.

For more information on DMC bids, please see our webpages: www.camden.gov.uk/dmcbids.

Consideration was given to the report of the Neighbourhood Manager.

Tara Cookson, Neighbourhood Manager, introduced the report and outlined the bids received. The Neighbourhood Manager advised the meeting that £55,545.05 of the £151,650 budget had been allocated so far, so there were sufficient funds available for all the received bids.

RESOLVED –

THAT the following requests be approved:

Report of the Neighbourhood Manager.

This report provides an update of recent news within the Kentish Town DMC boundary.

Due to time constraints, this report was not considered.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes

This report provides DMC Members with an update from the Cabinet Member for Better Homes.  

Due to time constraints, this report was taken as read.

There was none.