At a meeting of the Barking and Dagenham Assembly, councillors noted the Local Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25, approved the Annual Youth Justice Plan 2025/26, and agreed to submit the East London Joint Waste Plan Regulation 19 Submission Plan for government approval. The Assembly also noted the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2025/26 Mid-Year Review, and approved the appointment of Councillor Julia Williams to the Pensions Committee.

Adult Social Care

The Assembly noted the Local Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25, presented by Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Housing. The report highlighted that in the previous year, 1,388 safeguarding concerns were raised, with 80% of these occurring in an individual's home, a figure significantly higher than the national average of 46%. The report stated that 95% of assessed cases saw a reduction or removal of risk, and 98% of individuals achieved their desired outcomes.

The report also identified that neglect was the highest proportion of risk faced by vulnerable adults, and that 80% of inquiries involved white people, indicating a need to address under-representation from other communities. Councillor Worby outlined the priorities of the partnership going forward:

• Hearing the voice of the community to understand what safeguarding means to them and why rates are so high.
• Addressing the impact of the cost of living crisis on safeguarding.
• Addressing inequalities in the community.
• Ensuring effective partnership working.

Councillor Moin Quadri, Leader of the Minority Group, asked how the board would ensure it acted quickly to protect vulnerable adults, rather than just reporting concerns. Councillor Worby responded that there were numerous ways to report safeguarding concerns, and that there was a clear, transparent, and open-access policy for reporting any adult at risk.

The Assembly agreed to the recommendations within the report.

The Care Act 2014 outlines how councils should protect adults from abuse and neglect.

Youth Justice

The Assembly approved the Annual Youth Justice Plan 2025/26, which was presented by Councillor Jane Jones, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care & Disabilities. The plan reports on the work of the Youth Justice Service within Barking and Dagenham and its Strategic Management Board. Councillor Jones noted the challenging context in which the service operates, including the borough's high under-19 population, poverty levels, deprivation, domestic abuse, poorer health outcomes, and single-parent families. She also noted that high numbers of first-time entrants to the justice system remained a concern, and that the service was undergoing inspection by HMIP¹.

Councillor Josie Channer asked how the council worked with established groups like the Scouts and Cadets, which have worked with young people for decades. Councillor Jones responded:

We also have to be realistic around is that the sort of thing that our young people want to be involved in? And hopefully that is the case, but not every child. And so we have to have a more diverse, you know, bag of activities, if you like, that our children can buy into.

She highlighted other initiatives such as Box Up Crime and the youth zone in Parsloes Park.

Councillor Michel Pongo, Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee, commended the plan as a commitment to young people, noting the reduction in custody rates and re-offending. Councillor Dorothy Akwaboah praised the work being done to prevent young people from progressing to the adult courts. Councillor Elizabeth Kangethe, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment & School Improvement, noted the importance of early intervention and its alignment with good performance in schools.

The Assembly agreed to the recommendations in the report.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires local authorities to establish youth offending teams.

Waste Management

The Assembly agreed to submit the East London Joint Waste Plan Regulation 19 Submission Plan (ELJWP) for government approval. Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Economic Development, explained that the plan had been prepared with Newham, Redbridge and Havering councils to ensure sufficient waste capacity across the four boroughs. He stressed the importance of the local plan in determining planning applications, and noted that the ELJWP demonstrated enough waste capacity within the area, allowing for the release of some safeguarded sites, including three in Barking and Dagenham, which are listed in paragraph 2.11 of the Assembly Report - Draft Submission ELJWP.

Councillor Michel Pongo welcomed the plan, stating that it reflected the principles of sustainability, waste reduction, and enabling regeneration.

Council Finances

The Assembly noted the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2025/26 Mid-Year Review, presented by Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of the Council / Labour Group. The report provided an update on the treasury management situation at the halfway point of the year, including the wider economic situation, interest rate forecasts, inflation, government borrowing, and the council's own borrowing and investment.

Councillor Twomey noted that there had been two interest rate cuts in the financial year, and a small fall in inflation. He also noted that interest rate forecasts remained stubbornly high throughout 2026 into early 2027, which had an impact on the council's borrowing repayments.

Councillor Moin Quadri raised concerns about the council's debt, which he said was over £1.5 billion, with more than £1 billion linked to investment and acquisition strategies. He claimed that investment and acquisition strategy income had dropped for two years, reserves were almost gone, and the trajectory was unsustainable. Councillor Twomey responded that the investments had delivered over 3,000 new quality homes for residents and a year-on-year income to the council, which was reinvested in services and protecting jobs. He acknowledged that the financial returns were less than forecast in the medium-term financial strategy, but that they were still bringing in a return.

Councillor Dorothy Akwaboah said that Councillor Quadri was party to all the decisions that were taken, and had agreed to them.

The Assembly agreed to the recommendations in the report.

Appointments to Political Structure

The Assembly approved the appointment of Councillor Julia Williams to replace Councillor Summya Sohaib on the membership of the Pensions Committee.

Questions with Notice

The Assembly addressed several questions submitted by councillors.

• Councillor Lynda Rice asked about CPZ² charges in Longbridge, and how the money raised was spent. Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement & Community Safety, responded that the council did not make money from CPZs, and that they were introduced to improve air quality, road safety, and traffic flow. He said that on-street parking income was ring-fenced by legislation (Road Traffic Regulation Act 1884, Section 55) and used to finance capital schemes, highways improvements, and local implementation plans. Councillor Rice asked why some residents felt the consultation results had been ignored. Councillor Ghani responded that there had not been a consultation in Longbridge, but that consultations elsewhere had a threshold of 30% feedback.
• Councillor Moin Quadri asked about the evidence behind the closure of Footpath 47 for flood defence works. Councillor Kashif Haroon, Cabinet Member for Public Realm & Climate Change, responded that the closure was aligned to Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) development and formed part of their upgrade requirements, including flood risk prevention and protection. He said that a temporary traffic management order had been granted to allow BRL to carry out construction work.
• Councillor Moin Quadri asked about the Cleaner BD campaign. Councillor Kashif Haroon responded that the campaign aimed to improve resident satisfaction, Barking and Dagenham's reputation, and encourage residents to recycle more and keep their neighbourhoods clean.
• Councillor Faruk Choudhury asked how many parking spaces currently existed in Barking and Dagenham, and how many parking permits had been issued, especially within Gascoigne, Coastbrook, Thames, Riverside, Eastbury, Northbury and Abbey wards. Councillor Syed Ghani responded that the council did not hold information on the number of parking spaces, and that the permit system was not configured to report by ward. However, he provided a broad picture of the number of permits sold in those areas.
• Councillor Faruk Choudhury asked when the lake water in Barking Park was last tested and cleaned. Councillor Kashif Haroon responded that the council took the management of its parks' water courses very seriously, and that a series of measures had been introduced between 2024 and 2025 to improve the quality of lakes and ponds, including the introduction of ecologically friendly biological controls.
• Councillor Victoria Hornby asked about alleged mismanagement and failure to act at BD Reside, a housing company owned by the council. Councillor Maureen Worby responded that the media coverage was not always reflective of reality, and that it was the council's counter-fraud team that identified what was happening and took it to the police. She said that Reside had looked at their procedures and introduced new protocols, which were being monitored by the shareholder panel.