Redbridge Council continues to deliver

Redbridge Council continues to deliver for local people. It is the time of year when we set our budget for the following financial year that runs from April 2022 to March 2023. The council will set a balanced budget and will ensure the important services that residents care about continue to be delivered.

Due to government reductions in the councils budget we have to make savings. These will be achieved through efficiencies in our services and contracts whilst protecting services that matter. We are proposing nearly £6m of savings in the next financial year and have committed to a total of over £16m by 2026/27.

Despite these financial pressures we are proud to have 9 green flag parks with Valentine’s Park recognised in the top 10 in the country; to have invested in facilities at Fairlop Water; to have planted over 40,000 trees as well as set up a partnership with the Woodland Trust at Hainault Forest. We have retained all our libraries whilst nearly all authorities have reduced theirs. And we are particularly proud to ensure streets and neighbourhoods are clean and still have a weekly bin collection.

We also know that managing the impacts of Covid-19 has meant everyone in the community doing their part. We’ve ensured businesses have had access to financial support and supported the huge rollout of vaccines and now boosters right across the borough. We also stepped up Work Redbridge to help people back into work as their circumstances changed. We also know that we want people to feel safe in their neighbourhoods and that is why we have already delivered two enforcement hubs in Ilford and Hainault with more to come across the borough. We are able to do this because we manage resources carefully and invest in what matters. One of the most important parts of this is investing in young people and adults that need additional support and care. This is a huge and important responsibility and our services are consistently ranked as outstanding.

Deputy Leader and Finance Lead, Cllr Kam Rai: “I am proud that we can continue to deliver over 400 different services to residents right across the borough. Our settlement funding finances have been reduced by 58% over the years because of the government but we continue to invest and support the services that matter to our residents. I’m also proud to live in a borough where the residents and businesses have done so much to cope and manage throughout the last year. That is why we at the council are committed to doing all we can to keep providing services that residents need and care about.”

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Notes: The cabinet report is taken on the 21^st December. The final budget paper for 2022/23 is taken on February 24^th

The Council manages a net budget of approximately £195.7m and has savings of approximately £6m

Our budget supports Directorate Service budgets – Adult Social Care & Children’s Services; Communities including housing, street cleansing, waste collection and parking; Regeneration & Culture including parks, leisure and planning; Resources including finance, IT, Revenue & Benefits; Strategy overseeing Communications, HR and Policy. This pie chart represents the breakdown of the Directorate Service Budgets.