Cllr Phil Waker

Annual Meeting, Assembly - Friday, 22 May 2026 7:00 pm

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 25 March 2026 7:00 pm

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Wednesday, 11 March 2026 7:00 pm

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 11 March 2026 focused on the Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process and an update on housing priorities. Key decisions included agreeing the final report and recommendations for the EHCP review, and noting the progress and challenges in housing, particularly concerning temporary accommodation and tenant satisfaction.

Assembly - Wednesday, 25 February 2026 7:00 pm

The Assembly of Barking and Dagenham Council met on Wednesday 25 February 2026, approving the budget framework for 2026-27 and a medium-term financial strategy. The meeting also saw the adoption of the Barking and Dagenham Housing Strategy 2026-2031 and the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge report.

Audit and Risk Committee - Wednesday, 18 February 2026 7:00 pm

The Audit and Risk Committee meeting on 18 February 2026 focused on the external audits of the Council's and Pension Fund's accounts for the 2024/25 and 2023/24 financial years. Grant Thornton, the external auditor, presented their findings, highlighting a disclaimer of opinion for both the Council and the Pension Fund for the 2023/24 financial year due to significant limitations in obtaining sufficient audit evidence, particularly concerning opening balances and historic issues. For the 2024/25 accounts, while audit fieldwork was substantially completed, a disclaimer of opinion is still anticipated for the Council due to outstanding procedures and historic issues, but a more positive outlook is noted for the Pension Fund, with the possibility of moving away from a disclaimer opinion in the next financial year.