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.

To elect the Chair of Hampstead DMC for the 2024-25 municipal year.

Toyin Majiyagbe was nominated as Chair of the DMC. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Toyin Majiyagbe be elected Chair of Hampstead DMC for 2024-25.

To elect the Vice-Chairs of Hampstead DMC for the 2024-25 municipal year.

Arun Kumar and Anne Ward were nominated to the two DMC Vice-Chair positions. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Arun Kumar and Anne Ward be elected Vice-Chairs of Hampstead DMC for 2024-25.

To note the Hampstead DMC constitution.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Hampstead DMC constitution be agreed.

To note the code of conduct.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Code of Conduct be agreed.

Apologies for absence were received from Malcolm Brinsley Bush (Abbey Road Housing Co-Op), Pamela Holmes-Gunsell (Blashford TRA) and Caroline McHugh (Studholme Court TRA).

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 Hampstead DMC held on 14 March 2024.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2024.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

To note an update on DMC action points.

The list of action points was noted. The representative from Sidings said that the issue on their estate regarding the lack of recycling collections due to obstructive parking seemed to have been resolved.

Report of the Community Safety Programme Manager.

This report provides an update of the work of the Community Safety Service Anti-Social Behaviour Task Force pilot to date.

Consideration was given to a report of the Community Safety Programme Manager.

The Community Safety Team Leader, Sonia Mason, introduced the report and highlighted the creation of the anti-social behaviour (ASB) taskforce, which would be operating for a pilot period and working in partnership with other services.

She added that a new mental health protocol had been developed to help support the ASB case management process.

Another community safety officer, Tom Golden, added that leaflets had been distributed to explain to residents the ways that they could report crime and ASB. Residents asked for copies of this leaflet and the Chair asked for a list of who the ASB officers were for each area.

                                                  ACTION: Community Safety Manager

The Community Safety Team Leader was asked how long the pilot period of the ASB taskforce would be for, and she said the review would be completed in August. If the service continued, then it might well do so as a “triaging” service.

Residents expressed concern about the difficulties of reporting ASB by telephone out-of-hours. They were advised to log the incident online, but thought this was not always the easiest or most convenient way to explain the circumstances of the incident and that there were significant delays in hearing back from officers. The point was also raised that Deaf residents often had BSL as their first language and so they found it difficult to deal with some written material and forms in English.

A representative from the Sidings raised concern about drug dealing on her estate. The Alexandra and Ainsworth estate attendees raised concern about damage to garages.

The representative from Sidney Boyd Court said there needed to be clarity about what counted as crime and what as ASB that the service could deal with. She cited examples of two cars which had been set on fire.

Residents also raised concerns about repeated fly-tipping by known offenders, which did not seem to be being tackled. 

Concern was raised about a potential increase in ASB during the summer holidays.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report and the comments above be noted.

Report of Project Manager, Supporting Communities.

This report provides an update on our project to improve parking on Camden's estates.

Consideration was given to a report of the Project Manager, Supporting Communities.

The Estate Management Service Manager, Johaan Seesahai, introduced the report. He clarified that the goal of the strategy was to make access for emergency vehicles easier. 

He said that statutory consultation had taken place and the strategy would ‘go live’ in August 2024.

The representative from Abbey Green TRA said that parking was a constant issue on his estate, and was disappointed that it had not been included in the first group of estates to see the parking strategy implemented.

Residents raised concern about an unauthorised car repair business being conducted on Rowley Way in the Alexandra and Ainsworth estate. The Estate Management Service Manager said he would arrange a walkabout with housing officers to see the situation on the estate. He was urged to involve TRA officers in the walkabouts.

ACTION: Estate Management Service Manager

The representative from Mortimer Crescent TRA raised the issue of access to bins being blocked by parking, which meant that refuse lorries could not make their regular collections.

The representative from Sidings TRA voiced concern that no one had attended their last AGM to speak about parking and said that residents had a number of questions. There was also a query regarding whether permits would be issued to residents living in street properties.

The Estate Management Service Manager said that he would try to arrange attendance at a future Sidings meeting from a relevant officer. 

ACTION: Estate Management Service Manager

The Chair stated that she would invite the Estate Management Service Manager to her next surgery.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report and the comments above be noted.

Report of the Tenant Participation Co-Ordinator.

This reportprovides a progress update on a review of the process for allocation of, management and monitoring of the DMC budget and bidding process.

Consideration was given to a report of the Tenant Participation Co-Ordinator.

It was explained that the DMC bid process was being reviewed and that it would become a Tenant Participation process, separate from Landlord Services. Members were told that more information about the process would be provided to reps later.

The Chair welcomed this as there had been some delays in the old process and there might be a greater degree of consistency if bid reporting was handled by TP staff rather than by housing officers.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of Head of Allocation, Lettings & Private Housing Services.

This reportprovides a progress update on the voids programme of works and the current position of the in relation to the housing stock.

The report was noted.

Report of the Head of Neighbourhoods.

The DMC is asked to consider the report and approve any new bids it considers appropriate.

Consideration was given to a report from the Head of Neighbourhoods.

The Neighbourhood Manager in attendance, Celestine Fairhall, presented the report.

The Webheath bid was to install fencing to prevent unauthorised access to the community garden and Oak House.  This was agreed by the DMC.

The Sidney Boyd Court bid was to refurbish the TRA room. There had been some damage caused by water penetration. The Sidney Boyd rep explained that they had been able to find a local contractor that was cheaper than the £9200 cost in the report. Members agreed the bid.

Members also agreed the bid from Lymington TRA for garden benches.

Members voted to reject the bid for £2500 towards the ‘Resident Action Day’. There was concern that the proposed event was different from the Tenant Conference that many members had envisaged. The capacity of 200 seemed too small for an event that was meant to reach out to tenants who did not normally participate.

RESOLVED –

THAT the following bids be agreed:

To note an information report on grounds maintainance.

The report was noted.

To note a report providing an update on the fire safety works programme, Damp & Mould and Capital works programmes in train.

The report was noted.

To consider any local issues raised by DMC representatives.

The representative from Sidney Boyd Court highlighted that the gates were still broken on the estate. The lift in the central building had not been working for a month.

It was also mentioned that some residents had not been allocated sheds that they had asked for, despite the fact there were vacant sheds which people had given up when the charges increased.

The representatives of Alexandra & Ainsworth raised concerns about the football pitch on the estate being used late at night. They wanted clear arrangements for it to be closed in the evening to avoid nuisance to residents at night-time.

The representative from Blashford said that a new bike shed had been installed on the estate. People wanted lighting and CCTV to ensure that the bikes they left there were secure.

The representative from 50 Fitzjohn’s TRA welcomed capital works taking place there after decades where residents felt it had been neglected. Contractors were installing glazed panelling above doors, but he wanted confirmation that they met the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating required and he wanted to know what rating the building currently was.

The Chair said that people were understandably wary of bogus callers and so there needed to be better communication from the Council and its contractors as to when operators would be visiting. She also raised concern that, when a leaflet had been circulated stating Waites would be installing fire alarms, that there was no answer when you called the number listed.

The representative from Mortimer Crescent raised concerns about the lifts not working in two blocks (Broad Oak House and Ramstead House).

The Chair thanked members for their contributions and said that she would be inviting the new Cabinet Member for Housing to the next DMC meeting.