• CLIMATE Emergency Camden is disappointed that the chair of the housing scrutiny committee did not raise our questions regarding the Annual Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes at the meeting held on Thursday February 22.

These were:

Sheltered and Temporary housing

In the recent refurbishment of North Villas Hostel, why were air source heat pumps not installed?

This project was a major refit and an ideal opportunity for retrofit measures. Using heat pumps would have helped Camden move away from burning fossil fuels, replacing gas boilers with efficient heating run on electricity, most of which is now generated from renewable sources.

There needs to be more connection between housing refurbishment programmes and the council’s aim to reducing emissions in the borough.

Retrofit Programme

When reporting on retrofit works, can the council please include details of the carbon emissions reductions expected to be achieved?

This is an essential objective of the programme and it is concerning that it is not mentioned given that the council has declared a climate and ecological emergency. Carbon emissions reductions should be measured and reported.

We are also concerned about the progress of the retrofit programme overall, which is slow compared with the Inner Circle consultants report published in November 2021. We request an updated programme.

Damp and Mould Programme

We think that the “damp and mould programme”, the “repair and maintenance programme” and the “retrofit programme” should be more integrated.

We suspect that dealing with them separately is adding delay and cost due to duplicated management and unnecessary complexity. Damp and mould are primarily caused by the need for maintenance and measures such as insulation and ventilation. Cleaning with “mould washes” is not a permanent solution. What steps are being taken to address this?

We hope to receive a reply from our elected representatives soon. Otherwise there can be no public confidence in Camden’s claims to improve housing conditions, reduce carbon emissions, and help householders to cut heating costs and fuel poverty.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY CAMDEN