The Barking and Dagenham Council cabinet met to discuss lessons learned from austerity, regeneration projects, and plans for the future of the borough. They approved a new direction of travel based on the principles of People, Place and Partnership, and agreed to consult on a new place-based vision called 'Our B&D'. Councillors also approved a plan to build specialist children's homes and discussed ways to improve housing and support for vulnerable residents.

Lessons Learned from Austerity

The cabinet reviewed a report on the lessons learned from austerity in Barking and Dagenham. The report noted that savage government cuts had disproportionately harmed deprived areas like Barking and Dagenham. Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of the Council / Labour Group, presenting the report, said that between 2010 and 2020, the council had faced cuts of £63 million and had to transform to do things differently.

The report highlighted some successes of the period, including the work of Be First¹ in increasing regeneration and growth, and the building of 3,000 new affordable homes. However, it also noted that Community Solutions, a council initiative, had not delivered on its vision of true prevention.

Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, commended the report as quite mature in its approach in terms of saying, do you know what, we weren't quite right, but we're going to take the best of that and move forward.

The cabinet agreed to note the lessons learned and to agree to the council's new direction of travel, which informs proposals for a Neighbourhood Plan and Our B&D, a new place-based vision for the borough.

Our B&D: Building Communities and Driving Opportunities

The cabinet discussed and agreed to consult on 'Our B&D', a refreshed place-based vision for the borough, which will replace the Borough Manifesto that was adopted in 2017. Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Engagement, explained that a lot had changed since 2017, including Brexit, the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis.

The new plan will focus on six key outcomes and 15 indicators, which will help everyone to be focused on the priorities, resources, and capacity to where they will make the most difference in the outcomes. The six outcomes are outlined in Appendix A of the report.

Councillor Elizabeth Kangethe, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment & School Improvement, endorsed the report, saying that the new BND would engage local partners and keep residents at the heart of everything the council does.

Councillor Twomey noted that it was fundamentally wrong that the borough had the highest levels of child poverty, preventable deaths, and childhood obesity in London. He said that the council needed to work with its partners, including the NHS, to address these issues.

The cabinet agreed to commence consultation with partners regarding the draft outcomes and indicators and noted that 'Our B&D' would be presented to Assembly for adoption in September 2025.

Developing Barking and Dagenham's Neighbourhood Plan

The cabinet discussed and agreed the direction of travel for developing Barking and Dagenham's Neighbourhood Plan. Councillor Twomey explained that the plan would tackle a significant number of issues and would be based upon data and insight. He said that he was energised and excited that the council would move into a community-led organisation.

The plan will focus on improving access through better digital resources and developing better collaboration with residents and organisations in the voluntary and faith sector. It will also involve working with partners such as the police, local businesses, and the NHS.

Councillor Worby said that the plan was about a cultural change and about the council working in real partnership with the community. She added that the new 10-year plan from the government gave the council opportunities to deliver an astounding model in partnership with health colleagues.

Councillor Sade Bright, Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills & Aspiration, gave an example of working with the DWP and Job Centre Plus to co-locate services in Dagenham Library.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement & Community Safety, said that the plan's focus on preventing, reducing, and delaying crises was welcome.

The cabinet agreed to the direction of travel set out in the report and to a programme of engagement with staff, residents, and key stakeholders over the summer period.

Be First Regeneration Limited Business Plan 2025 to 2030

The cabinet considered the Be First Regeneration Limited Business Plan 2025 to 2030. Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Economic Development, said that the plan was bold, exciting, and thrilling. He explained that the plan would focus on attracting private and public investment to promote new homes and vital infrastructure.

Councillor Twomey added that the business plan showed that Be First was undertaking a change in direction to bring dividends because of the work that's being done in that private-public collaboration to try and find those new ways of financing the regeneration.

The cabinet approved the business plan and authorised the Strategic Director, Inclusive Growth and Place, to take all necessary action to enable Be First to implement its proposals.

Proposal for Council-Owned Specialist Children's Homes

The cabinet approved a proposal to fund, create, and commission three specialist children's homes across seven properties. Councillor Jane Jones, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care & Disabilities, explained that the homes would improve care for children with complex needs, especially girls under 16 who are at risk of being subject to a deprivation of liberty order².

The homes will provide 16 placements in total and will be supported by NELFT³, who will provide in-reach services and staff training. The project is an invest to save project, and the council has been successful in its bid for DFE match funding, which will reduce capital costs by 50%.

Councillor Dorothy Akwaboah, Cabinet Assistant, asked about the criteria for selecting the 16 placements and how the council would cater for cost increases during the building process. Councillor Jones explained that the criteria would be high, based on complex needs such as self-harm and exploitation. She added that the financial modelling had taken cost increases into account.

Councillor Simon Perry, Cabinet Assistant, commended the report, saying that having the homes in the borough would allow children to maintain their support networks.

Councillor Twomey said that it was fantastic that the match funding had been given and that the project would put people first.

The cabinet approved the building and commissioning of the homes and agreed to the capital loan, which will now be cut by 50% due to the DFE match funding.

Amended Financial Terms for Disposal of Schemes into Reside

The cabinet considered a report on amended financial terms for the disposal of schemes into Reside. Councillor Geddes explained that the report was a tidying up exercise and covered four areas:

• Market conditions suggest that shared ownership for Ewars March isn't going to be viable, so it is proposed to switch to discounted market rents.
• The Building Safety Act 2022 requires a principal accountable person, and the suggestion is that it should be up to delegated authority to apportion where that person should be.
• The council was under the impression it didn't have to pay stamp duty on the Challingsworth House project, but it is now apparent that it is, so that necessitates a loan to Barking and Dagenham Housing Limited.
• It would make sense to have the shared ownership in Town Quay Wharf instead of going into reside for tax efficiency reasons.

The cabinet agreed to the recommendations in the report.

Corporate Plan 2023 to 2026

The cabinet received the corporate plan 2023 to 2026 outcomes framework performance report for quarters three and four, 24 to 25. Councillor Ashraf, the new portfolio holder for performance, introduced the report, which presents a summary of how the council has performed against the corporate plan outcomes framework.

Councillor Worby said that the report was a reminder of what the community is facing on a daily basis with the cost of living crisis.

Councillor Twomey said that the report showed the baselines to aim at to make improvements and that it should spur the council on to be able to look at what it's doing as a council.

The cabinet agreed to note the report.

Disposal of 20, 22 and 28 Whalebone Lane South, Dagenham

The cabinet considered the disposal of 20, 22 and 28 Whalebone Lane South, Dagenham. Councillor Twomey explained that the current tenant had approached the council to purchase a long leasehold of the retail units and that draft terms had been agreed.

The cabinet agreed to approve the sale of the premises.

Other Items

The cabinet also approved the following items:

• Contract for Provision of Specialist Information and Advice Services in Key Areas of Welfare Benefits, Debt and Housing
• Contract for Supply of Furniture, Fixtures and Fittings for Early Years Education Settings and Temporary Residential Accommodation
• Interim Position of Operational Director, Enforcement and Community Safety

Finally, Councillor Twomey thanked the frontline team for their hard work in putting in fire breaks that stopped the fires spreading to residents' homes in Beam Park in Dagenham.