Agenda and minutes

That the Chair be authorised to host the DMC meeting as a remote meeting due to the exceptional circumstances of the Coronavirus national emergency.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Chair be authorised to hold this meeting as a remote meeting due to the exceptional circumstances of the coronavirus national emergency.

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.

RESOLVED –

THAT the ‘A’ and ‘B’ lists be noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Jane McWilliams, Sue Robertson and Helen Duff.

There were no announcements.

There were no declarations of interest.

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 2^nd March 2021.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd March 2021.

A query was raised about the Leighton Crescent bid approved at the last meeting. Officers said they were awaiting the final costing.

A member asked how often the voids figures which compared Camden with other boroughs were updated. He was informed they were updated yearly.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the 2^nd March 2021 meeting be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Director of Housing Management and the Director of Property Services.

The DMC is asked to discuss and comment on the sections of the consolidated report that are of particular interest to members during the 2-hour meeting timeslot allocated.

The June 2021 consolidated Housing Services report was compiled following feedback from DMC members at recent meetings and arising from specific requests from DMC chairs during their April agenda setting with the Cabinet Member. It includes Housing Management & Property Services performance and other requested reports. 

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Housing Management and the Director of Property Services. 

Laura Gillett, the Head of the Voids Programme, spoke to the DMC. She said that there was a 12-month programme for improvement.

In May, there had been more than 100 void units let – an increase from April’s figures. There was now virtual tours available of properties, similar to the ones offered by estate agents.

It was noted that many voids were let to existing tenants who needed a different property for their needs. This meant that letting them created new voids as tenants vacated their old home, and so the net void figures would not fall in the short term by as much as the increase in new lettings would imply. 

Ms Gillett said the target was to reduce void turnaround times to an average of 100 days by April 2022.

Members said that they would like to see the Council learn from the best practice of other local authorities in this field, as well as what some private landlords and letting agents did.

Angela Spooner, Head of Landlord Services, introduced the rest of the consolidated report.

She explained that rent arrears had risen over the course of the coronavirus pandemic but had now stabilised. The government had lifted the ban on evictions for rent arrears, but the Council was not intending to use those powers as long as tenants engaged with the support offered; the aim was to work with tenants in difficulty and help them to sustain their tenancies.

Concern was voiced that the end of the £20 per week temporary Universal Credit uplift would increase financial difficulties for many tenants. The Chair asked if the Council was sticking to the pledge made by the Leader not to evict those who fell into rent arrears purely due to income and job losses caused by coronavirus. Ms Spooner said that was the intention, but tenants needed to engage with their housing officers and welfare rights staff in order for the most suitable assistance to be given.

Members were informed of the ability to log repairs through the Camden account. Officers said they were trialling a webchat facility, and it had had a 97% satisfaction rate so far.

Members expressed concern about estate parking, especially as there were often cases where non-residents were using parking spaces without payment and preventing residents doing so. Jane Hickson from Leighton Crescent said that she would like some of the parking spaces on the side of her estate re-designated as for residents only, as abandoned vehicles had been left there by non-residents. Concerns were also raised by a representative from Carrol Close & Sanderson Close TRA about parking on their estate.

ACTION: Estate Parking

John Wood queried the availability of electric charging points. He argued that more charging points which were conveniently located would make residents more willing to buy electric cars. The Chair suggested that tenants with car parking as part of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report of the Head of Tenancy Services.

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 Landlord Services Manager (South).

The new bids proposed were agreed.

RESOLVED –

THAT the following bids be agreed:

To consider local issues and the report of the Landlord Services Manager (South) .

Consideration was given to a report of the Landlord Services Manager (South).

Tara Cookson, Neighbourhood Manager, updated members on what had happened with some previous bids. She said that Kieran Waller was awaiting quotes for the Leighton Crescent bid.

The Denyer House consultation had revealed opposition to the scheme so it was no longer going ahead. The Rochester Road scheme had to be re-tendered as a result of removing Denyer House from it.

Momota Khatoon thanked Tara Cookson and Councillor Anna Wright for their work on helping with the St Pancras Way Community Hub project.

Representatives from Carroll and Sanderson Close had had two meetings with Danny Waites and his team.

The Chair asked how the extension of lockdown would affect TRA halls. Stanton La Foucade said that events could still take place if a risk assessment was carried out and approved.

There was a discussion about holding TRA AGMs. Holding AGMs in a hall might not be possible given the number of people involved, but outdoor AGMs might be feasible, and officers were also investigating the possibility of hybrid meetings (with some people in the hall and some at home).

Residents from 268 Kentish Town Road addressed the meeting. They were hoping to set up a TRA. They needed major works to their block and the windows were in need of replacement. Danny Waites said his team would investigate the issue of the windows that opened too far out as soon as possible, given the risk this posed.

ACTION: Danny Waites (Head of Repairs and Operations)

A resident also said there had been water contamination of a water tank. The residents of 268 Kentish Town Road said that they felt frustrated and progress seemed to be slow in dealing with various departments of the Council, and that the issue was currently with Leaseholder Services and they felt that department were currently not progressing the matter.

RESOLVED –

THAT the reports and the comments above be noted.

There was no other business.

The dates of future meetings will be:

·       Tuesday, 14^th September 2021

·       Tuesday, 30^th November 2021

·       Wednesday, 12^th January 2022 (Joint Meeting)

·       Tuesday, 8^th March 2022

The dates of future Kentish Town DMC meetings would be:

·         Tuesday, 14^th September 2021

·         Tuesday, 30^th November 2021

·         Wednesday, 12^th January 2022 (Joint Meeting)

·         Tuesday, 8^th March 2022