The Cabinet of Redbridge Council met on Monday, 19 January 2026, to discuss and approve key financial proposals for the upcoming year, extend vital community grant programmes, and update the council's housing allocation policy. Significant decisions were made regarding the 2026/27 budget, including the approval of new savings totalling £7.253 million for the year and £42.674 million over the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) period. The Cabinet also agreed to extend the Corporate Voluntary Sector Grants Programme for an additional 12 months and approved amendments to the Housing Allocation Policy to improve fairness and efficiency.

Detailed Budget Proposals for 2026/27

The Cabinet approved new savings proposals amounting to £7.253 million for the 2026/27 financial year, with a total of £42.674 million projected savings across the MTFS period. These savings are intended to protect essential services for residents and businesses amidst ongoing financial pressures. The council noted government announcements regarding the Local Government Finance Settlement, which indicated an increase of £61.5 million for Redbridge over three years, though this is still considered insufficient to address historic underfunding and current overspending. The budget proposals are driven by the Modernisation Programme, aiming to fundamentally reinvent council operations to ensure long-term financial sustainability. Savings are projected across various directorates, with significant contributions from Cross-Council initiatives totalling £37.656 million over the MTFS period. Reversals of previous savings were also agreed, totalling £9.467 million for 2026/27 and £18.177 million over the MTFS period, reflecting adjustments to reflect current expectations and the implementation of new efficiency measures.

Corporate Voluntary Sector Grants Programme Extension

The Cabinet agreed to extend the Corporate Voluntary Sector Grants Programme by 12 months, ensuring continued support for vital community services. This extension will allow for the design and launch of a new grants programme aligned with the Council's new Corporate Plan and Vision for Redbridge, due in mid-2026. The programme, which includes the Commissioned Via Grants and Community Seed Funding, provides essential support to organisations that assist residents with complex needs, offer advice and guidance, and enhance community well-being. The extension was deemed necessary to maintain service continuity, strategically align with new council priorities, and mitigate risks associated with ceasing funding, which could disproportionately affect vulnerable groups and increase demand on statutory services.

London Councils Grants Scheme - Budget Proposals 2026/27

A subscription of £0.238 million for the 2026/27 financial year was agreed for the London Councils Grants Scheme, representing an increase of £0.003 million from the 2025/26 figure. This contribution is part of a London-wide initiative to fund voluntary sector organisations across the capital. The scheme requires a two-thirds majority approval from London Boroughs to be implemented; otherwise, the Secretary of State can intervene and set the budget at the previous year's level. The proposed increase is based on population data and aims to support services that combat homelessness and tackle sexual and domestic violence across London, contributing to better outcomes for Redbridge residents affected by these issues.

Redbridge Corporate Performance Report Quarter 2 2025/26

The Cabinet noted the Redbridge Corporate Performance Report for Quarter 2 of 2025/26, which details progress made towards the Council's key priorities outlined in the Redbridge Plan 2022-2026. The report indicated that 64% of performance measures met their targets for the quarter. Key achievements highlighted include 204 homelessness preventions and the delivery of 102 new council properties in the Housing & Homelessness portfolio. The Planning & Economic Growth portfolio supported 341 businesses and helped 118 Work Redbridge clients into employment or apprenticeships. Environment & Sustainability saw 97% of reported fly-tips cleared within one business day, and Enforcement & Community Safety reported 3,731 enforcement actions. Areas requiring attention, flagged as 'Red', included the number of households in temporary accommodation, the percentage of children looked after with multiple placements, and the timeliness of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

Allocations Policy Amendments

The Cabinet approved amendments to the Housing Allocation Policy to align with recent case law, statutory guidance, and to enhance fairness and efficiency. Key changes include enabling households fleeing domestic abuse and care-experienced young people from other local authorities to qualify for the housing register, and allowing homeless households to retain a 'reasonable preference' on the register if they secure private rented accommodation. The banding system will be renamed from Bands 1-4 to Bands A-D to reduce confusion with temporary accommodation banding. Additionally, the income threshold for multi-person households to qualify for the housing register will be increased to £79,000 per year, and a local lettings plan for gypsy and traveller sites, specifically for Northview Caravan Site, was approved. These amendments are expected to improve fairness, reduce the use of temporary accommodation, and streamline the allocation process.

Property & Assets Service Restructure

The Cabinet approved the proposed restructure of the Property & Assets Service within the Place, Communities and Enterprise directorate. This restructure aims to ensure the team has the necessary competencies and capacity to deliver its Service Plan and contribute to the Corporate Plan. The changes involve renaming the team to Property and Major Programmes to distinguish it from housing-focused assets, creating new roles, deleting vacant or redundant posts, and assimilating existing staff. The restructure is expected to have a net zero financial impact and will affect teams including Facilities Management, Capital, Commercial, and Health and Safety.

Re-procurement of Specialist Integrated Sexual Health Services (ISHS)

The Cabinet approved the commissioning intentions for Specialist Sexual Health (SRH) services, opting for a direct award of contracts to Barts Health NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT). This decision follows a period of successful transformation and improved outcomes since 2017, despite challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and increasing STI rates. A five-year contract with potential extensions is planned for Barts Health NHS Trust, with an estimated maximum value of £3,964,198. For BHRUT, a five-year contract with two optional one-year extensions is proposed, with an estimated maximum value of £7,311,438.54. This direct award is deemed acceptable under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations due to satisfactory performance of incumbent providers, no significant changes in contract value or scope, and the lack of a competitive market for such specialist services. Newham Council will lead the procurement for Barts Health, while Barking and Dagenham will lead for BHRUT.

Adults Emergency Duty Team Section 75 Agreement

The Cabinet approved entering into a new 5-year Section 75 Agreement for the Adults Emergency Duty Team (EDT) with North-East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT). This agreement, which commenced on 1 April 2025 and ends on 31 March 2030, covers Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and Waltham Forest, with Havering acting as the lead borough. The total value of the agreement is £4,460,319.20, with Redbridge's contribution capped at £1,115,079.75 over the five-year period. The EDT provides an essential emergency social care service outside of normal office hours, responding to urgent situations involving vulnerable adults and mental health assessments.

Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2026/27

The Cabinet agreed to retain the existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2026/27, with an increase of 3.8% applied to non-dependant deductions, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). A Discretionary Hardship Fund of £1 million will continue to be available to provide additional support for residents experiencing severe financial hardship. This decision was made in the context of the Council's ongoing commitment to tackling poverty, balanced against the need for affordability and sustainability within the overall budget, given low government funding and increased service demands.

Agreement of the SEND and Alternative Provision Priority Action Plan

The Cabinet agreed the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Priority Action Plan. This plan was developed following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which identified widespread and systematic failures in the Redbridge Local Area SEND Partnership. The Action Plan, developed through extensive consultation with over 300 parents, staff, partners, school heads, governors, SENCOs, and young people with learning disabilities, addresses identified areas for priority action. Key elements include embedding a co-production approach with communities and integrating this into Education, Health and Care Plans, Need Assessments, and Annual Reviews. The plan has been submitted to the Department for Education and NHS England for approval and will be subject to monitoring and full inspections. The Cabinet also noted the progress made against the plan as of October.