The Redbridge Council cabinet met on 16 October 2025 and made decisions on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), delegated authority for CIL relief, received a Corporate Peer Challenge feedback report, and approved the continuation of the four borough Emergency Duty Team service. They also discussed the forward plan, the corporate performance report, and the Modernising Redbridge programme.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule Review and Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) Update

The cabinet approved the publication of the draft Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule and a six-week statutory public consultation. They also delegated authority to the Director of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with Councillor Vanisha Solanki, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, to approve minor amendments to the statement of representations procedure and the CIL Draft Charging Schedule following the public consultation. The Director was also given delegated authority, again in consultation with Councillor Vanisha Solanki, to submit the Draft CIL Charging Schedule to an independent examiner for examination in public, if there are no substantive modifications required following consultation. Finally, the updated Infrastructure Delivery Plan was approved for publication on the council's website, and the Director of Planning and Building Control, after consulting with Councillor Vanisha Solanki, was authorised to make minor amendments, corrections, and clarifications to the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

The council is reviewing its CIL charging schedule to encourage development by lowering or removing charges. The current schedule charges £70 per square metre for all use classes. The council is considering removing CIL charges on educational and health-related developments, and reducing the rate for commercial floor space to a level comparable with other outer London boroughs. The council will keep the same charges for residential uses.

CIL Relief Governance Arrangements for Values Over £0.250m

The cabinet approved a change in governance to allow CIL relief consideration and decisions for over £250,000 to be made under delegated authority by the Executive Director of Place, Communities and Enterprise, in consultation with Councillor Vanisha Solanki.

This change aims to expedite decisions on CIL relief, as the CIL Regulations 2010¹ require the council to issue relief notices as soon as practicable. Currently, the council's constitution requires the Leader of the Council to approve financial relief over £250,000, which can delay the process.

Corporate Peer Challenge Feedback Report

The cabinet noted the findings of the Local Government Association (LGA) Feedback Report, which followed a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) that took place in Redbridge during 15-18 July 2025. They also noted the Draft Action Plan drafted in response.

The CPC report made 29 recommendations in areas such as local priorities and outcomes, leadership, governance, financial planning, and capacity for improvement. The council asked the peer group to provide feedback on organisational leadership, place leadership, and capacity for improvement.

The peer team found that the council demonstrates considerable ambition and delivers strong outcomes, but faces challenges such as significant financial pressures and limited capacity. The report stated that recent changes in member and officer leadership have brought stability and energy, but internal communications require modernisation. The report also noted that Redbridge has strong partnerships in health and community safety, but collaboration varies across the system.

Continuation of the 4 Borough Emergency Duty Team Service

The cabinet approved the continuation of the existing four-borough Emergency Duty Team (EDT) service arrangement and endorsed entering into a new three-year agreement, effective from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. The four boroughs are Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and Waltham Forest.

The EDT provides a standardised out-of-hours service for children's social care. The partnership enables shared resources, streamlined governance, and strong inter-borough collaboration. Redbridge Council manages and delivers the service on behalf of the four boroughs.

Modernising Redbridge

The cabinet approved the Modernising Redbridge Programme and agreed to delegate the authority for additions and removals of projects to Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of the Council & Labour Group and Cabinet Member for Growth and Regeneration, the Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation, Councillor Helen Mary Coomb, and the Chief Executive Officer. They also approved the governance arrangements for the programme and noted the commencement of resident, staff, and partner survey activities.

The Modernising Redbridge Programme is a structured, whole-council response to the challenges of austerity, rising inequality, and a growing population. It aims to reinvent the way the authority operates by investing in people, processes, and platforms. The programme is organised into five integrated workstreams: service modernisation, customer experience, operating model redesign, workforce and people strategy, and a strategic asset review.

Redbridge Corporate Performance Report Quarter 1 2025/26

The cabinet noted performance against the key priority measures for Redbridge. The corporate scorecard contains 124 measures, and 58.7% of the measures that are RAG rated have met the set target this quarter.

Some key achievements noted in the report include:

• 99 successful preventions of homelessness
• 100% of hazards identified during housing health and safety inspections of rented properties have been resolved by landlords
• Timeliness of planning applications have achieved target across all categories
• 259 businesses have been supported to grow
• 98% of Redbridge's streets were found to achieve a high cleanliness score
• 100% of Category 2 Highway defects were made safe within 24 hours of being reported

The report also noted some areas where performance was below target, including the number of households living in temporary accommodation, and the timeliness of Education Health Care Plans being issued.

Forward Plan

The cabinet agreed the items shown in the Forward Plan for 13 November 2025 and 11 December 2025.