Freedom of Information request Number 126030

Request

1. How much funding has been made available by Lambeth Council to the TMO of Lambeth Towers in Kennington and Patmos Area Community Association in Brixton? Please provide a comparison in funding for the period when both housing projects were not contracted out as part of the TMO.

2. Please could you tell me what has been the overall financial saving, or loss, to the Council in the past financial year as a consequence of the TMO of Lambeth Towers in Kennington and Patmos Area Community Association in Brixton.

Response

Lambeth Towers is not a Tenant Managed organisation, therefore funding information is not provided in the response below.

1. PACCA

Patmos Area Community Association in Brixton (PACCA) was established in summer 2009. The TMO was provided with start-up costs, which addressed its immediate needs. From Quarter 2 of the financial year 2009/10 onwards, the TMO receives Management and Maintenance allowance that is paid in quarterly instalments. The allowance paid out in 2009/10 amounted to £260,450. For 2010/11 the total payable is £347,268. The table below presents a summary of all the payments made to PACCA thus far, as well as the payments scheduled for next financial year.

I. Start-up costs:

II. Allowances

In order to compare funding provided to PACCA TMO with costs that Council used to incur on pre-PACCA properties, two sets of data were analysed:

- Area Offices (Stockwell and Vassal) spent on in 2008/9

- Lambeth Living spent on Stockwell and Vassal area in 2008/9

2008/9 outturns were chosen for the analysis, as they enabled us to examine the costs incurred immediately before the creation of the TMO.

Both totals were apportioned on the basis of number of properties. PACCA holds 285 dwellings, whereas the total dwelling stock in the area amounts to 6052.

The table below summarised the results of this investigation:

The analysis shown that the Council's annual expenditure on PACCA TMO is approximately £151,677.71 higher than the costs Council incurred prior to the creation of this TMO.

2.   Please could you tell me what has been the overall financial saving, or loss, to the Council in the past financial year as a consequence of the TMO of Lambeth Towers in Kennington and Patmos Area Community Association in Brixton.

The allowances payable to the TMOs are calculated on the basis of the number and type of services performed by each TMO, using a financial model created for this purpose by the Council's Officers in January 2009. The calculation of the allowances is based on the actual costs incurred by the Council in past years. Therefore the allowances fully reflect the Council's spend on its own properties. Consequently, no savings/losses are incurred as a result of a creation of new TMO.

9. Right to Review

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Corporate Complaints Manager

Lambeth Town Hall

Brixton Hill

Brixton

SW2 1RW

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Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Enquiry line: 01625 545745

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