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 Tenants Participation Team together with a membership list and a completed registered form.

RESOLVED –

THAT the ‘A’ and ‘B’ lists be noted.

Apologies had been received from Arun Kumar (Abbey Green TRA), Mary Ryan (Sidney Boyd TRA), Nevenka Martin (Taplow TRA), Lynda Stuart (Webheath TRA), and Councillor Nancy Jirira.

There were no announcements.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no notifications of urgent business.

Report of the Director of Finance

This report summarises the financial position of the Housing Revenue Account and the draft recommendations on rent and service charges to be made to the Cabinet in January 2024.

The report also seeks the views of the DMCs on the draft recommendations

The DMCs will retire to the following rooms to discuss the budget proposals separately:

Gospel Oak            - Council Chamber

Hampstead             - Committee Room 1

Camden Town        - Committee Room 2

Kentish Town          - Committee Room 5

Holborn                  - Committee Room 4

At 8.15pm the DMCs will be recalled to report the outcomes from their respective meetings if they wish.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Finance and to the presentation made to the DMCs when they were meeting jointly.

Members discussed the questions at Appendix E of the report. Members observed that the proposed increase in the communal lighting charge of 11% was higher than the maximum rent rise permitted by legislation and higher than the increases in other service charges.

Members commented that they saw lights which were left on all the times in communal areas and that this was an illustration of the wasteful way in which the Council sometimes operated.

A member commented that the Council was enforcing parking fines on its own vehicles, which was unnecessarily increasing the costs to the HRA (Housing Revenue Account).

A resident from Lymington Road said that the estate had been affected with heating and hot water problems. The increases in heating charges in previous years had not resulted in an improvement in service.

Members expressed concern that the 7.7% rent increase was more than many salaries or occupational pensions were increasing by. They also noted that many residents already had difficulty in paying their rent and that rent arrears were a significant problem for the Authority.

There was a discussion about how the Council could boost revenue coming into the HRA and engage in income generation. One resident said the Council should consider allowing advertising on housing estates, akin to how Transport for London had advertising on the tube and on buses. 

The Chair highlighted the importance of reducing void turnaround times, so that the Council could receive revenue from those properties. There were flats which had been left vacant for months, which could be re-let as ‘general needs’ properties if aids and adaptations made for a previous disabled resident could be removed and it returned to general usage.

Following discussion, members voted on the questions at Appendix E of the report.

Rent increase

Members voted by 7 votes to 0, with 3 abstentions, to reject the recommended rent rise.

Increase Tenant Service Charge – Caretaking

Members voted by 4 votes to 3, with 3 abstentions, to reject the recommended service charge increase.

Increase Tenant Service Charge – CCTV

Members voted by 8 votes to 0, with 2 abstentions, to reject the recommended service charge increase.  

Increase Tenant Service Charge – Communal Lighting

Members voted by 9 votes to 0, with 1 abstention, to reject the recommended service charge increase.  

Increase Tenant Service Charge – Communal M&E Maintenance

There was a tied vote, with 5 votes in favour and 5 against the proposal.

Increase Tenant Service Charge – Grounds Maintenance

Members voted by 5 votes to 3, with 2 abstentions, to reject the recommended service charge increase.  

Increase Tenant Service Charge – Responsive Housing Patrol

Members voted by 9 votes to 0, with 1 abstention, to reject the recommended service charge increase.  

Heating Pool Charges

Members voted by 9 votes to 0, with one abstention to agree to the proposal to keep the charges  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

There was no other business.