The meeting is expected to include a number of topics, including the council’s proposed revenue budget for 2025/26; a review of the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme; an update on the Housing Strategy 2023 - 2028; proposals for the allocation of capital funding to a scheme for the expansion of Hatton Special School; and a report on the outcome of a scrutiny review into Maternity services.

Revenue Budget 2025/26 and MTFS

A report on the Revenue Budget Proposals for 2025/26 and MTFS will be provided to the attendees of this meeting. The document sets out the council’s current financial position and the implications of the Chancellor's 2024 autumn statement. It explains that the amount of grant funding from central government in the Settlement Funding Assessment has fallen significantly since 2010, highlighting that “Once the impact of inflation is adjusted for, the Council has the equivalent of £159.5m less to spend on local services.” The report estimates a forecast budget gap of £44.816m for 2025/26, which includes a £19.257m estimated roll forward of spending commitments from 2024/25. The report pack includes an appendix listing a change in demand for local services between 2010 and 2023, demonstrating that demand for some key services, like support for children with special educational needs, has significantly increased. The report pack also lists the following savings for approval:

• Full-year impact of 2024/25 parking mitigations
• Street Lighting Energy Costs
• Continuation of Additional Care Package Reviews and Continuing Healthcare Savings
• Full year impact of 2024/25 package review
• Reablement
• Residential Care and Supported Living
• Children with Disabilities
• Families First for Children Pathfinder Pilot
• Operational Estate Energy Costs
• Planning, Building Control and Street Naming and Numbering Fees
• Reduction in Cost of Capital Financing.

In addition, the following savings are presented for noting:

• Environmental Services review
• Falls Prevention
• NHS Funding Streams
• LifeLine
• Consolidation of operational buildings and disposal of surplus assets
• Commercial Programme
• Shaping Our Future Customer Front Door Programme.

Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme

The report pack includes a proposal to change the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme from April 2025. It explains the scheme’s background, stating that the amount of funding for it has not been “separately identified” since 2013/14. It explains the purpose of the scheme, which is to provide support for residents who are “in financial need.” The report pack includes an equality impact assessment for the scheme, outlining that there are currently 15,231 households and families receiving support, 10,043 of which are working-age households. The report pack includes five options for consideration, including:

Option 1 – No change to the scheme Option 2 – Retain the scheme and consider three proposals for adjusting non-dependant deductions (people living in the property who are not the claimant). These proposals are: * 2A - No change to non-dependant deductions. * 2B - Increase the deductions by 2%. * 2C - Adjust the deductions annually from April 2026 based on the previous September's Consumer Price Index (CPI). Option 3 – Reduce the maximum level of Council Tax Liability by 5% which would effectively reduce the level of support to residents Option 4 - Restrict the maximum level of support to the Band D level for claimants living in properties in Council Tax bands E to H.

Housing Strategy 2023 – 2028 update

The report pack includes an update on the Housing Strategy 2023-2028, which was originally approved in July 2023. The Housing Strategy has four objectives:

Objective 1: Increasing the supply of housing Objective 2: Housing Need and Homelessness Objective 3: Improving the Quality of Homes Objective 4: Putting Residents First

The strategy includes 42 actions which will be delivered over the 5-year period to meet the objectives. Some of the key areas of progress to date include: an increase in the amount of new affordable homes being delivered; purchase of larger homes for rent by households on the housing register; approval of an Empty Property Strategy; delivery of a study on the types of homes that will be needed by the residents of Redbridge in the next 20 years; additional funding to acquire more temporary accommodation to reduce overall costs; approval of a Placement and Resettlement policy; consultation on new Allocations and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping policies; an increase in the amount invested in maintaining Council owned homes; development of a detailed plan to improve the energy efficiency of those homes; delivery of ‘Green Grants’ to homeowners and private landlords; introduction of a new licensing scheme for private landlords and an increase in the number of proactive enforcement actions against poor landlords; introduction of full fibre broadband to address digital inclusion in the borough; establishment of a Resident Involvement and Scrutiny Panel and development of a Customer Service Charter. The Housing Strategy report pack lists the following key actions for the next year:

• Working with Developers and Housing Associations to deliver more affordable rented homes.
• Working with Private Landlords to encourage them to lease more homes to households on lower incomes
• Creating a delivery plan for specialist homes that meet the needs of the borough’s most vulnerable residents
• Delivering a new Allocations Policy
• Delivering a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy
• Becoming an accredited Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance landlord
• Delivering a pilot project to improve the energy efficiency of 12 Council Homes
• Submitting a funding bid to carry out energy efficiency improvements to at least 200 Council homes
• Working closely with the Citizen’s Advice Redbridge to help support tenants in the private rented sector
• Delivering a new Customer Service Charter
• Providing feedback on the actions taken in response to the Council Tenant and Leaseholder Satisfaction Survey
• Providing regular updates on housing matters in Redbridge Life magazine and through social media channels.
• Working collaboratively with Work Redbridge, and Children’s and Adult Social Care.

Allocating Capital Funding to Scheme for Expansion of Hatton Special School

The report pack includes a proposal for the allocation of Capital Funding for an expansion scheme for Hatton Special School for pupils with ASD and SLCN. There is a high demand for places in specialist provision locally and the council acquired the site of the former Park School in Ilford. Initially it was planned to accommodate expansion for both Hatton Special School and Little Heath Special School, but redevelopment work at William Torbitt Primary School has freed up capacity at the Little Heath site so it no longer needs to be included in the scheme. The former Park School will be used solely for Hatton Special School and will provide new, modern facilities with external works to improve site security. The scheme will cost £3.858m which will be funded from the SEN capital fund and the Rolling School Expansion Budget.

Maternity Scrutiny Task and Finish Group outcome report

The report pack contains the outcome report of the Maternity Scrutiny Task and Finish Group (TFG), which was established in 2020 to review the provision of Maternity inpatient delivery services following the closure of the King George Hospital (KGH) Maternity Unit in 2013. The TFG considered evidence and formulated 14 recommendations relating to three main themes:

• Decision-making to close the KGH Maternity Delivery Unit
• Maternity Provision, Activity and Performance
• Equitable Maternity Services for Redbridge residents.

The Queen's Birth Centre (Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust) was temporarily closed in 2023, highlighting concern around workforce and capacity issues. The report includes the findings of an investigation by the TFG into the process that led to the decision in 2013 to close the KGH Maternity Unit in Goodmayes. It outlines that at the time of the closure, the boroughs of Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering had “approximately one hospital for 700,000 residents” whereas the three inner boroughs had three hospitals for 650,000 residents. The report pack also includes an analysis of local demographics, which indicates that Redbridge has a high proportion of child-bearing women, some of whom have complex health needs, and that Redbridge has the highest percentage of residents from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups. The TFG assessed that it was a disadvantage to Redbridge that the borough with the “lower number of births” should accommodate the Maternity Unit. The report includes the following key recommendations:

• The NHS should undertake an independent assessment of refreshed data and future projections in relation to maternity activity, population risk profiles, patient flow and workforce, including 2021 Census data, and the impact of housing developments within Local Plan projections, to underpin a long-term maternity strategy for NEL.
• The NHS should consider options to increase the level of choice for maternity delivery services in Redbridge, given the closure of the KGH Maternity Unit in 2013 and the temporary closure of Queen’s Birth Centre in 2023.
• The NHS should make greater efforts to ensure the collation and reporting of ethnicity data to monitor patient outcomes, inform service needs and interventions and to reduce inequalities.
• NHS service providers and patient advocacy / support groups should signpost the council's webpage to support vulnerable residents, including birthing people and their families, during the cost of living crisis.
• NHS England should extend Maternity advocacy services to deliver equity of provision in Redbridge/outer NEL and routinely report on updates by borough.
• NEL Local Maternity and Neonatal System and NEL Integrated Care Board should report to the relevant Redbridge and/or Joint Health Scrutiny bodies, as required, to present updates on the performance and provision of maternity services, including any strategies or proposed changes that may affect Redbridge residents.
• NEL Health and Care Partnership, Local Maternity and Neonatal System and the Integrated Care System should develop a long-term Maternity Strategy for NEL, ensuring ongoing engagement and co-production with the public, providers and stakeholders, and with representation from the Redbridge Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee.