Camden and the Bedroom Tax

- The Bedroom Tax is unfair and impacts over 1800 people locally.

- Camden's Labour council opposes the Bedroom Tax and is campaigning for the next Labour government to reverse it.

- Camden will do all it can to help tenants stay in their homes during the welfare changes and is helping people with extra advice, emergency housing payments and debt support.

- Any council tenants faced with eviction as a result of the Bedroom Tax will be made a direct offer of suitable alternative social housing in Camden - this way no one will face homelessness.

- Our help is practical and helps the most vulnerable residents.

Indicative approach Bedroom Tax

Of all of the welfare changes, the Bedroom Tax – the reduction in housing benefit for under-occupancy – is the most pernicious. It's clearly not as simple as saying to people that they should downsize if they are in a home with spare rooms; there clearly aren't the properties on the market to do that: if only a third of households downsized because of the bedroom tax, Camden would still need an extra 308 one-bedroom properties, 153 two-bedroom properties, 36 three-bedroom properties and seven four-bedroom properties to come on to the market immediately.

Camden has repeatedly said we are against the Bedroom Tax, most recently participating at a meeting in Manchester with 36 other councils to reaffirm this, and working all the time with the LGA, our MPs and others.  

Camden wants the Bedroom Tax stopped - and reversed - and is lobbying for this to be national policy if Labour is elected in 2015. 

Camden's approach

Like other councils Camden council has limited resources to help people, but is committed to helping residents who are put in the most vulnerable circumstances as a result of these changes to avoid eviction if the Bedroom Tax or any other welfare change pushes them into deep arrears and they have nowhere else to move to.  We will do all we can to help them stay in their homes, including use of the Discretionary Housing Payments.

Camden's approach is that anyone actually faced with eviction as a result of the Bedroom Tax (after all other avenues have been exhausted) will be made a direct offer of suitable alternative social housing in Camden.

This way, no-one will face homelessness – other than by having rejected all other options open to them. 

Given that there are many changes impacting some of our poorest households, the Council is committed to helping peoples' bottom line.  We are investing extra support and aid to vulnerable people: more funding of jobs and apprenticeships; introducing the London Living Wage; £3m to for extra homelessness pressures arising from the Benefit Cap and changes to housing benefit and the bedroom tax; £360,000 in extra welfare advice and debt support to neighbourhood services, including CABx; work to lower heating bills; investment in a Credit Union and over £400,000 to reduce Council Tax bills for those impacted by the reduction in Council Tax Benefit please, for example see http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/community-and-living/welfare-rights-and-benefits/council-response-to-welfare-changes

Brighton and Leeds

Brighton and Leeds are cited as examples of authorities which have resisted the Bedroom tax or have provided alternatives.  On examination both authorities are implementing the Bedroom Tax. But like Camden, both councils have developed policies to mitigate the worst effects of this tax for their area based on local judgement. Camden's mitigation package is one of the widest in the country, but we are not aware of any council that is not implementing the policy or protect all those affected indefinitely. 

Why we aren't adopting a Brighton 'no evictions' approach?

Brighton claims to have a policy that protects tenants from eviction.  On investigation their position is far more limited than advertised: it doesn't guarantee that if Bedroom Tax arrears are a factor people won't be evicted; only if Bedroom Tax is the only reason why they are so far behind in rent payments will tenants be spared eviction, see our comment in the Guardian. 

Eviction orders generally involve individuals who are several thousands of pounds in arrears, or people who have consistently flouted reasonable repayment orders or avoided communication with the council. The average affected tenants in Brighton will lose just over £600 a year as a result of the Bedroom Tax. It could therefore take several years before the sums add up to evict "solely" on the back of bedroom tax arrears – and yet the Brighton policy only lasts for a year.

In the context of other benefit changes and direct payment of benefits to claimants, we feel that this policy is very limited.  It would also force the council to protect people from one group over another (recent jobless, or those suffering another government welfare cut), without considering extent of their vulnerability.   

Why we aren't adopting a Leeds reclassification approach? 

The Leeds reclassification of flats has been examined.  Although Camden has already reclassified a small number of properties (for example, where rooms are too small to be used as a bedroom), the Leeds  approach would not work in Camden due to the very substantial drain on resources this would involve the housing repair funds - Camden has a much bigger repairs backlog than Leeds.  Reclassifying properties would also hinder our attempts to deal with overcrowding in the borough, where there are currently over 5600 people waiting for suitable homes.

Closure of Belsize Fire Station - questions the Mayor of London must answer

There will be a London Fire Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) consultation meeting on the closure of local fire stations, including Belsize, at the London Irish Centre on Thursday 30th May 7-9pm.  You can read the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan 2013-2016 consultation document here.

Following the protest on Saturday, here are some questions for the Mayor of London:

1.     In Belsize ward the response time for a first appliance goes over the target response time by nearly three minutes – this is a ward where we have 5 residential buildings over 8 stories which is above the height that can be fought from the ground (18m), four of these are the highest in the borough.  Based on the proposed response times, it will take 7 minutes 59 seconds to arrive at the foot of the building, not the time it takes to climb the stairs and reach the front door of the flat.  We know that when it comes to tackling a fire, every second counts. Do you agree the impact on those residents could be fatal? 

2.     Do you agree the London Safety Plan failed to take into account tall buildings & high-rise, high-density residential units, listed and historic properties and critical emergency preparedness as part of the re-modelling for the draft plan?   As a result, the safety and security of residents in Camden is being compromised by the cuts being pushed through by the Tory Mayor.

3.     Belsize Fire Station serves a significant number of call outs in Westminster; whilst Clerkenwell serves more call outs in Camden than in Islington.  In reality, Camden will be losing more than just one Fire Station.  Camden is densely populated which can suffer from extremely congested roads.  These cuts will lead to longer response times from the Fire Brigade and importantly jeopardising Camden resident’s safety.  Are you aware that a fire doubles in intensity every thirty seconds?

4.     The consultation has until recently indicated that the average response time across Camden as a whole will increase by 45 seconds to 5 minutes and 26 seconds. However, recently released data shows the full extent of the impact on individual wards.  Under current arrangements, we have one ward which does not meet the LFB target response time for a first appliance.  If these proposed cuts are implemented, this will increase to seven wards.  Do you think the Mayor is putting public safety at risk?

5.     Camden has had a history of high profile incidents involving a fire response over the years, including the Kings Cross Fire, two of the 7/7 bomb sites and the Camden Lock Market.  Some buildings in the borough are of strategic importance both visually as iconic sites (such as Kings Cross, St Pancras, British Library and British Museum).  They are therefore likely to be a terrorism target, which would require a larger response than a normal fire incident.  What consideration have you given to these factors in determining the proposed station closures?

6.     In Camden we have over 5600 listed buildings, which is one of the highest numbers in London - these listed buildings are of national importance for their significant architectural and historic interest.  We also have many other unlisted buildings which are of similar construction, but of less historic or architectural importance that date back to the 19th century or earlier.  What factor if any, has this played in your determination of the proposals?

7.     Does the modelling take into account the simultaneous closure of both Belsize and Clerkenwell?  What impact do you think closing 2 stations that serve a busy and vibrant London borough will have on residents confidence? And also do you think response times are essential to saving lives?  

8.     What assurance can the fire service provide that the proposed cuts will not adversely affect the response to major incidents, given the work that has gone into implementing the recommendations following 7/7 and the King's Cross fire?

9.     What efforts have the LFB made to find the required savings from back office functions?  Here at Camden we have successfully made an efficiency saving of over £40 million over 3 years which has come from back office savings such as administration, human resources and finance, rather than frontline cuts.  Surely a saving of £25million over 2 years could be found from similar back office functions rather than affecting critical front-line services.

2011-14 CSR: Central control continues

From the Centre for Cities blogpost on central and local government spending power relations - a reminder that local government

Last month at Holborn general Committee, former Camden Labour leader Phil Turner charted recalled  the shift from local government control over its own expenditure decisively changed during the Thatcher era, when the government looked to curtail the powers of local councils via the Rates Act.

He read out a statement (left) by the then Chief Executive to him as leader, warning of the "fundamental change in the relationship between central and local government" by the ratification of the Bill.

The current state of affairs, and how it is getting worse, is charted by the Centre for Cities' Zach Wilcox in a post last week - with this helpful graphic showing how the Chancellor's CSR has made things the central-local balance even more lopsided.

Wilcox argues:

Whitehall holds much control over local authorities’ finances, both in setting the budgets and how authorities can use their funds. On the whole, central government determines the budgets for 60 per cent of local authority spending. With the remaining 40 per cent local government raises, Whitehall sets rules and regulations around the amount raised and how it can be used (see figure below):

New council homes to be built in Gospel Oak

Gospel Oak councillors were at the 'Demolition Fun Day' at Bacton Low Rise on Saturday to kick off the regeneration of the area.
As part of Camden's Community Investment Programme, estate regeneration at Bacton Low Rise will be delivered in 3 phases providing a total of 290 high quality new homes - and the first new council homes to be built in Gospel Oak in a generation.

The regeneration is possible because the council is surrendering land previously occupied by the District Housing Office and some workshops to build homes.

Phase 1 begins with the demolition of the former GO District Housing Office and adjoining workshops in Vicars Rd. The demolition will take place over the summer with construction of Phase 1 new homes starting in Autumn 2013.

The residential development will contain a mix of 1 bedroom to 6 bedroom units, and will be a mix of market, social rented and intermediate (i.e. shared ownership) tenures.

Phase 1 will be the development of 63 residential units on the DHO site
Phase 2 will be development of 140 residential units on the southern part of the BLR site.
Phase 3 will the development of 87 residential units and 3 employment units on the northern part of the
BLR site.

Employment space expanded
The scheme will also provide three new high quality ground floor commercial units providing 260m2 floor space.   As part of the wider regeneration benefit to be delivered by the Bacton Low Rise project the Burmarsh workshops in Marsden Road which have been out of commission for many years are being refurbished - a total of 1300m2 13 workshop units are being brought back into use.

The new build and refurbished workshops will provide 1,500m2 of employment space, over 500m2 more than the workshops being demolished at Vicars Road (at the back of the DHO).  The existing businesses at Vicars Rd have been successfully relocated with assistance from the Council.

Full documents can be viewed here and other developments here.

On the Mayor-making in Camden

The Camden Lib Dems have created another fuss - and a little traction in the press, even an editorial - over their demand, against convention, to nominate a councillor for this year's Mayoralty.

At 13 out of 54 councillors, the Lib Dems are the official opposition over a slightly smaller Conservative Group.

In expectation of their protests in front of the Borough's citizens this evening at the Mayor-making, it's important to set out why - in our local democracy - the Mayoralty is not shared.

As the Lib Dems full well know, the Mayor performs a constitutional role as the borough's first citizen, as well as the ceremonial role they covet.  

The Mayor, for example, has the casting vote in council meetings when Camden's £250m Budget is set.  

If Mayors were just about eating cucumber sandwiches and opening Camden-in-Bloom events they might have a point, but it seems like they intend to play games with those present by confusing the constitutional and ceremonial roles that are both present in the Mayoralty.

While we of course respect Cllr. Rea's long-service, the Liberal Democrats know the Mayoralty is crucial to the functioning of the council, the leadership of which was decided decisively by Camden voters at the last election.

They voters had their say, so perhaps the Lib Dems should respect that?

Update:  Here's the spat, as reported in the New Journal.  Most guests were a bit bemused by this. 

Dodgiest Lib Dem Bar Chart in a while

Camden New Journal blog-man Richard Osley notes the return of the 'dodgy bar chart' in Tory target Hampstead and Kilburn, in 2010 a threeway contest and on paper the most marginal seat in the country.

Of course, everyone knows (even erstwhile candidates) that the Lib Dem vote is getting punished right across north London - making them even more desperate to convince voters that they are still 'neck-and-neck.'

Here's the dodgiest bar chart I've seen in a while - doing the rounds in Swiss Cottage at the moment - with a rather skewed ratio between 30:13:10!

Public wifi network to be established in Camden

Camden council will take a major step forward in enhancing our digital infrastructure for residents through a new deal with Arqiva to deliver public Wi-Fi to streets and open spaces across the borough.  The aim is to make Camden one of the most digitally connected places in Europe.

Camden has led a group of councils across London to secure deals that will provide a wireless network where residents, businesses and visitors will be able to access 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi services every day using registered devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Participating councils include Hackney, Islington, Brent, Merton, Haringey, Hounslow, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham and Barnet.

Independent of the 30 free minutes, users of the service will be able to access Camden Council’s online services free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The contract with Arqiva provides substantial financial incentives for Camden and will help to deliver the objectives of the Camden Plan to make the borough a place where "everyone has a chance to succeed and where nobody gets left behind."  

Income will be generated for the Council over the 10 year life of the contract will be used to support digital innovation in local firms and tackle digital exclusion - 14% of Camden's residents do not use the internet.

The new tech infrastucture will be a substantial boost to local businesses, driving further innovation in advertising and Camden-relevant apps. 

The service will be rolled out across the borough from 1 June 2013 to the end of 2014, covering areas which will have the highest demand first. Phase one will target the South of Camden in areas of high footfall. 

The remaining phases will cover:

*           Camden Town and Kentish Town
*           Kilburn, Finchley, Hampstead and Belsize Park

See report in today's Standard http://www.standard.co.uk/news/techandgadgets/camden-launches-free-onstreet-wifi-8614836.html