The Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss the Leader's annual report, the council's financial position, and its work programme for the coming year. The committee was also expected to review the insight, learning and impact report for the fourth quarter of 2024-25.

Council Finances and Strategy

The committee was scheduled to discuss an update on the council's medium term financial position, including its overall financial resilience. The report pack included details of:

• The council's revenue outturn position for the 2024/25 financial year and its proposed use of reserves
• Service areas and wider factors shaping the financial challenges facing the council
• The anticipated impacts of upcoming government policy changes, including the Spending Review
• The council's capital outturn position for the 2024/25 financial year
• The annual refresh of the council's capital budgets and recommended capital investments

The report pack noted that the council was operating in a tough financial environment, and that it was important to protect its financial resilience. The report pack also included details of a number of key controls in place to ensure this, including close monitoring of income streams and debt levels, and close monitoring and reporting of the delivery of the existing Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The report pack also included a recommendation to agree to changes to temporary accommodation rents so they are standardised at 90% of the 2011 LHA rate¹ and noted that an Equality Impact Assessment had been carried out.

It is recommended that all TA rents are standardised at the 90% of 2011 LHA rate. This will primarily impact TAPP properties, but will also iron out any inconsistencies in rents in the nightly paid sector. Rent charged by the Council to households in nightly paid TA (B&Bs, hotels and annexes) is in most cases already charged at 90% of 2011 LHA rates, so most households should be unaffected. However, there may be some cases where the rent charged is lower than the amount that can be claimed from HB.

Update on the Council's Medium Term Financial Position

The report pack also recommended that authority be delegated to the Director of Property Management to agree to acquire properties valued between £250,000 and £2.5m for those current and future related acquisition programmes.

Leader's Annual Report

The report pack for the meeting included the Leader's Annual Report 2024/2025, which was intended to provide an overview of the council's achievements and priorities for the coming year.

The report stated that Councillor Linda Chung, Chair of Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee, had become Leader of Camden Council at the end of July 2024, and had set out a continued commitment to tackling inequality, to delivering for the people of Camden and to making the borough a fairer place for everyone who lives and works there.

The report also noted that Jenny Rowlands, Camden's Chief Executive, would be leaving the Council in the summer, and that the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive would begin.

The report was structured around the council's four Camden missions:

• Diversity
• Young people
• Food
• Estates and neighbourhoods

The report also included updates on the Community Wealth Fund, public affairs and engagement with the new government, Adult Social Care, Community Safety, secure, safe, warm homes, fire safety, damp and mould, Good Work Camden, the Health Anchor Partnership, HS2 and Euston, the climate agenda, energy security, emissions, and supporting refugees in Camden.

Insight, Learning and Impact Report

The report pack included the Insight, Learning and Impact Report – Quarter 4/End of Year 2024-25, which was intended to provide an overview of the key issues identified by officers for each service.

The report was divided into three main sections:

• A summary table which highlights key responses from services for the year 2024/25 across each of the four Directorates.
• A more detailed narrative of the individual service responses
• Appendix A contains the data dashboard.

The report pack noted that all Camden Council Directors were asked to provide a narrative covering key areas of challenge, opportunity, and learning, looking back over 2024/25 and looking ahead into 2025/26.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to discuss its work programme for 2025/26. The report pack included a suggestion that the work programme should be informed by the corporate priorities of the council, the priorities of the relevant portfolio holders, and issues raised by the communities.