London Borough of Redbridge

Last week, Redbridge Council's Planning Committee approved our plans to deliver a new lido in Valentines Park - the first in London for decades! Construction is expected to begin later this year, and the facility is projected to be open to the public by autumn 2025, providing people from near and far with a new leisure facility to enjoy for years to come. The brand-new facility will be close to Valentines Park's original outdoor pool, which people across East London and Essex enjoyed from 1923 to 1995. The new lido will provide a sustainable, fun, and social place for people to exercise outdoors while boosting the local economy and restoring the heritage of Valentines Park. The new lido will include a number of facilities including, a 25-metre six-lane swimming pool, children's splash pad, dance/exercise studio, gym, café, outdoor recreation/picnic area, meeting room, car parking, and changing facilities. The lido is a testament to the Council's commitment to sustainability, utilising the latest technology, including solar panels for energy generation, air-source heat pumps, water recycling systems, and energy-efficient lighting. These features will ensure sustainability and contribute to cost-efficiency, making the Lido a responsible and economically viable project. Mark Baigent, Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture, said: "The old lido in Valentines Park holds a special place in the hearts of local people. It is where families enjoyed idyllic summer days right on their doorsteps and it is so exciting that after nearly 30 years, a brand-new lido and more will be introduced in the park for people to visit and create new special memories. As a council, we will continue to invest in leisure facilities so local people and visitors can access everything they need right on our doorstep." Valentines Park is one of nine parks in the borough that received the prestigious Green Flag Award in 2023. Check out BBC News coverage - https://lnkd.in/eXZvRQnm

Last week, 34 new, fast, on-street Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers were installed across Redbridge in an innovative partnership project with Uber and Believ, helping to further boost our borough’s EV network and support greener travel. Following the first leg of the project, the 34 22kw dual chargers allow two vehicles to be charged simultaneously at the same location, providing 68 charge points in total. The locations were identified based on demand from local people. The project is part of the borough’s bid to support local people to adopt more sustainable and greener travel choices, including making the switch from petrol or diesel to electric vehicles. By the end of 2024, a total of 174 new chargers will have been rolled out to 87 locations around the borough, helping add to the borough’s existing network of charge points. The fast chargers are being fully funded through Uber and Believ, who were awarded the contract to install, operate, and maintain the fast chargers. Transport was identified as one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in Redbridge, making it one of the council’s key areas for action in tackling climate change and creating a cleaner and greener Redbridge for local people. Dhiresh Bhatt FIHE, our Head of Highways & Transportation, said, “Our partnership with Uber and Believ has enabled us to support local people with making greener travel choices. The increase in EV chargers improves the accessibility and opportunity for local drivers to switch to an electric vehicle which will lower the carbon footprint of transport, cut pollution, and help tackle climate change.” The increased number of EV charging points in Redbridge also gives local people who do not have the ability to charge on a driveway the confidence to make the switch to electric, knowing they can easily charge an EV using the growing number of public charging points available across Redbridge. Andrew Brem, General Manager of Uber UK, said, “We are delighted to work with Redbridge Council on this vital project to boost EV infrastructure. Getting these chargers in the ground is a huge milestone with drivers often telling me that being able to access reliable charging near their homes is critical to their decision to switch to an EV.” Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO said, "This project is an excellent example of public and private sectors working together to install EV charging infrastructure that delivers on a community's need, without burdening the public purse. The new installations will significantly improve Redbridge's residents' access to EV charging - helping more drivers make the switch." For more information on using the new EV fast charge points go to: https://lnkd.in/gN6s9__C   Mario Lecordier Hulya Ataoglu #greener #sustainable #ev #project #partnership

Our Star of the Month scheme shines a light on colleagues who go above & beyond, and we're delighted to share Vanya Djumerska, our Training & Implementation Lead, has won this month's winner ⭐🏆 Line Manager, Emma Pattison, nominated Vanya for collaborating with internal services and external agencies to ensure the protection of a resident, escalating issues relating to women’s safety, and delivering whole council training. Emma said, “Vanya has been delivering a training programme across asylum-seeker hotels to raise awareness of domestic abuse amongst staff and residents. One of the clients she met disclosed a sexual assault she experienced while living at the hotel. Vanya, in partnership with our Public Health team and other agencies, helped to get the client moved as a safety measure. The new address was compromised so Vanya worked collaboratively with partners to get the client relocated again. She is now settled in a new area, and Vanya is in the process of connecting her to relevant support in the area. Vanya has gone above and beyond to do this, as casework is not part of her role. In addition, while working at a hotel, she uncovered the sexual exploitation of multiple women living in the accommodation. Vanya is still pursuing this issue to ensure the safety of women moving forward. This has also been escalated to our Interim Chief Executive to raise with the Home Office. Since Vanya joined Redbridge in September 2023, her commitment to helping our residents and dedication to wider council priorities has been clear. She has had an active role in the Women’s Network, delivering training on bespoke topics like the links between domestic abuse and menopause. She arranged a fantastic itinerary of well-attended events for the 16 Days of Activism in November, and International Women’s Day in March. She’s also led on the development of whole council training and is exploring commercial opportunities to generate income from her training programmes. This weekend, she will be delivering training at an event held by the Menopause Action Group. She never shies away from picking up additional tasks if they will make a difference to our community. No job is too big or too small for Vanya, and she is an absolute joy to work with.” James Bachmann, Head of Public Health and Wellbeing, shared, “I wanted to say a big thanks for all the support Vanya has been giving Helen, our Project Manager for Asylum Seekers and Displaced people. Helen had mentioned how helpful and knowledgeable she had been but I hadn’t met Vanya until recently when she joined us for a call. It was great to have her input and it was clear how passionate she is about her work which is really great to see.” Congratulations Vanya! & well done to everyone who was nominated.

Foster Care Fortnight began this Monday, 13 May and raises awareness of fostering. This year is particularly special for Redbridge Council as it also marks the launch of The Local Community Fostering Service, in which we’ve partnered with five regional local authorities to recruit more foster carers.   The Local Community Fostering Service is a pilot scheme from the Department of Education (DfE) and is being delivered by Redbridge, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Newham, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and London Borough of Waltham Forest councils. The collaboration highlights successful partnership working and our involvement in innovative practices.   The new service aims to increase the numbers of foster carers, ensuring that more children who need to stay in care remain local to their friends, families, schools, and extra-curricular activities, which is extremely important for a child’s stability.   Kalvinder Kaur, Team Manager from the Redbridge Fostering Service said, “There has never been a greater need to recruit foster carers to support our children and to offer them a safe and stable family life for them to thrive. We look forward to working in partnership with other local Councils in this DfE pilot scheme and I trust that together, we can achieve this goal.”   A launch event is taking place on Saturday 25 May between 9.30am to 2pm. There will be a three-mile foster care walk through the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, music, fun activities, and light refreshments. If you’d like to join in on the fun, please book a ticket through Eventbrite https://lnkd.in/eHBpkgQ9   Gemma Seabrook, Recruitment, Engagement and Development Officer, for our Fostering Service said, “This is such an exciting time for the Redbridge Fostering Team. Joining forces with another five local Councils and forming the ‘Local Community Fostering Service’ with the aim to recruit more foster carers for the Greater London East area will have such a positive impact on the lives of so many children who need to spend time in foster care.”   #fosteringmoments #newservice #launch #fostercarefortnight John Anthony Gloria Samuel

Congratulations to Olufunmilola Idowu, our Children & Families Social Worker, who won our March Star of the Month award ⭐ Team Manager, James Sheen, nominated Olu. He said "Olu successfully completed her Assessed and Supported Year in Employment in March having spent the year working as a Social Worker in the Pre-Birth Assessment team. Olu’s role involves her working with high-risk pregnant mothers, many of whom can be resistant to support from Social Services who they are often fearful of. Olu’s interventions with families have remained child focused but she has been able to work successfully in partnership with families to help reduce risks and improve outcomes for babies. Olu consistently goes above and beyond to support families, visiting families at their homes or in hospitals at unsociable hours to provide support or to ensure that families have the necessary finances, food, or items to get by." As part of Olu’s final report, she obtained feedback from three different mothers who commended Olu for the support that she had given to them. The 1st mother said: "Olu made me feel heard. She always remained very friendly and was consistent in building mine and my children’s trust – by doing so helped me open up to her about all my concerns and she was then able to get me the help I really needed. She was always very reassuring and warm and gave me a new view of social services.” The 2nd mother said: “Olu always listened and took her time to explain things in simple language, which was very helpful. Olu explained the process of the assessment to me and that is why everything went well and there was no stress. Olu didn’t only support me financially, but she supported me emotionally as she referred me for support." The 3rd mother said: "Olu picked me up from the hospital after delivery and helped pack my items when I was being moved by the social services from the hotel to a temporary accommodation. Olu was really supportive, aside for providing baby items, she provided advice and did everything with her heart not because this is her job.” The feedback is a true testament to Olu. Olu has a special aura about her which she exudes in the work that she does with families. Olu takes the time to build relationships and rapport with families and this enables her to help achieve positive outcomes for those families, even when there are challenging or high-risk circumstances. Olu clearly takes the time to understand the situations of the families she works with holistically and to ensure that the necessary support is in place in all areas.    On hearing the news of her win, Olu said Oprah Winfrey’s quote came to mind “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”

It’s Deaf Awareness Week, and we’re delighted to announce our new Redbridge on Demand British Sign Language (BSL) service has launched today! The service supports Deaf people in contacting the council more easily, without needing to rely on friends and family to make phone calls on their behalf. People now have the option to speak to council staff using a video BSL service, where an interpreter will translate the conversation between council call centre staff, and the caller. Local people are welcome to use this service if they need to speak about any of Redbridge Council’s services, from housing, to bin collections, to council tax. A local resident who helped test the new BSL service said, “I don’t want to rely on my husband to communicate and make phone calls for me. I find it really stressful. The new system is perfect because if I want to phone or come in and speak to someone on reception. I can go into a room and get the interpreter on a video call. I want to thank the council, it’s really useful.” Our brilliant Customer Services and Public Health colleagues worked in partnership with Sign Solutions and The Language Shop Ltd to set up this new way of working. Jeet Ramoutar, our Acting Operations Manager for Customer Services said, “We know it’s important for everyone to be able to contact the council in the way that works for them. We have brought in the BSL service to give our Deaf residents a strong customer experience, and one they can use themselves, rather than relying on other people to phone on their behalf. This is part of us striving to provide a seamless customer experience for all local people.” Gladys Xavier, our Director of Public Health and Commissioning said, “It’s important that all residents can access the support they need when they contact the council. I’m proud of our teams and external organisations for collaborating on such an important project which will make communication easier for our Deaf residents.” Sign Solutions said “We have enjoyed working with the council and the Deaf community to implement the Video Relay Service solution. We are so pleased to be providing this access through InterpretersLive!” Marlene Daniels from Sensory Specialists Ltd, the council's provider for sensory support in Redbridge, advocates for improving access within organisations. Marlene said, “Contacting public services and local and national companies is difficult for people who are deaf, and everyone has different communication needs. It all comes down to making it possible to access comprehensible information, in accordance with Accessible Information Standards. The introduction of the BSL On Demand service in Redbridge is truly exciting. It signifies significant progress and addresses a long-standing need.” Customers can access the BSL service by visiting the Contact Us page on the Redbridge website and selecting the button to ‘Contact us using a BSL interpreter’. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eP6vztpJ

Redbridge Council held our annual Recognising Redbridge #StaffAwards ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the hard work and achievements of colleagues over the past year. It was a wonderful celebration of our collective dedication and work ethic. The event recognises the outstanding teams and individuals that go above and beyond in their roles to make Redbridge a great place to work and live. With the most nominations received this year, our winners are truly exceptional! Many congratulations to all our winners: Innovator Award: Nicky Summers Innovator Team Award: Redbridge Education & Wellbeing Team Awarded for challenging the norms to achieve real improvements for our residents and communities. Our winners are passionate about constant improvement and seek out creative ways to introduce new ways to how we all work and find solutions. Connector Award: Ferzanah Ahmed Connector Team Award: Work Redbridge Awarded for stepping up and taking responsibility to create an open, collaborative and supportive work environment with other teams and partner agencies. Customer Focus Award: Maria Thomas Customer Focus Team Award: Parenting Groupwork Awarded to a team and individual who goes the extra mile to meet the needs of our residents and communities and consistently demonstrates our values of honesty, excellence, fairness, and collaboration. Rising Star Award: Tiffany Evripidou Evripidiou Awarded to an individual who is going places! Someone who is always looking to grow themselves, expand their skill set and take on new challenges. Apprentice of the Year: Simon Stodel Awarded to an apprentice who has excelled in their role and demonstrates a positive attitude to learning, collaboration, and reflection. EDI Champion: Eva Freytas-Sanchez Awarded to an individual who is a true champion of equality, diversity and inclusion, embedding these principles into their work and teams, leading to positive culture changes across the council. Outstanding Leader: Barbara Kakoulli Awarded for offering the leadership and guidance that inspires others to greater heights. And a special shout-out goes to our overall winners… Employee of the Year: Maria Thomas Team of the Year: Parenting Groupwork #RecognisingRedbridge #Recognition #Winners #Achievement

Our Redbridge Council website has been ranked the top performing Local Government website nationally by Sitemorse. The last time a London borough received this accolade was over 10 years ago! Sitemorse is an organisation that undertakes automated website checks on over 400 authorities’ websites to ensure they are consistent and compliant. Our IT and Digital teams have been working hard, continuously making changes to our website resulting in it jumping an incredible 22 places to first position. The teams have addressed accessibility issues, fixed broken links, ensured content is up-to-date and improved the code quality and performance of the website. Congratulations teams 🎉 There is weekly monitoring of the site and quarterly updates which identifies issues from an accessibility and functional aspect. Our deep dive started with the Cabinet Office audit back in January 2022 to ensure the site was as accessible as possible for our diverse communities. Emeran Saigol, Operational Director of Digital and Customer Services, said “Achieving the top position nationally is a testament to how hard the Digital and IT teams have been working on content and accessibility. Thank you to everyone involved for their teamwork.” Anrul Ullah, Interim Operational Director of IT, said “This is an excellent accomplishment. Our monitoring and hard work has seen us reach the top spot. I’m sure you will join me in congratulating the teams involved.” The IT and Digital teams work together to ensure we provide the best possible services for local people, including making sure that our website is accessible so that everyone can use it.  

Following a successful bid by our Children’s Services team, Redbridge Council has been selected to deliver the Families First for Children Pathfinder programme. The programme will improve services to help more children stay with their families in safe and loving homes, and protect vulnerable children from harm where needed. Congratulations to our Children’s Services team! An initial pilot of the programme was successfully delivered in Dorset, Lincolnshire, and Wolverhampton. Redbridge will now take part in the next stage of the project, delivering vital services in a holistic way, helping children to stay with their families in safe and loving homes, whilst protecting vulnerable children where needed.   The programme will make sure that families access targeted early help sooner, supporting those experiencing a range of issues including debt, housing, welfare and benefits needs, domestic abuse, addiction, or poor mental health, to help them overcome adversity before issues escalate and children are put at risk of harm. Where child protection is necessary, it will be carried out by multi-agency child protection specialists with expertise and experience, and the wider family will stay involved in decision-making. Funded by a £2.5 million government grant, the programme will help develop the best practice models for the entire children’s social care system that can then be rolled out across the country.   The Families First programme will transform how Redbridge supports families and children by: ·       Creating multi-disciplinary family help teams, to make sure families with multiple needs can access all the support they need earlier and in one place. ·       Making greater use of extended family members, with them being the first port of call if extra support is required, with practical and financial support provided to them if needed. ·       Establishing dedicated multi-agency child protection teams. ·       Creating stronger and clearer multi-agency safeguarding processes, including an increased role for education and improved information sharing.   Acting Chief Executive, Adrian Loades, said: “Being selected is a huge achievement and reflects our council’s reputation for providing outstanding social work services for children and families. Our Children’s Services teams work incredibly hard delivering vital services for local families and as a result are recognised as among the best in the country. By developing new ways of providing these services, Redbridge Council will help shape the future of Children’s Services, while continuing to serve our local communities.” 

Our Star of the Month award scheme shines a light on colleagues who have gone above and beyond their role. We’re delighted to share that Ron Clayden, our Neighbourhood Enforcement Officer won our February award. 🎉  Congratulations Ron! Neighbourhood Street Scene Manager, Sarah Kaye, nominated Ron for successfully leading on the prosecution of a local restaurant which received a hefty fine by the Court for fly tipping and poor commercial waste management, which had affected the lives of local people. Sarah said, “Ron was the lead officer who successfully prosecuted Millions Lounge Restaurant in Chadwell Heath on four counts of fly tipping and two counts of offences relating to the management of commercial waste. The ongoing behaviour of the restaurant was making residents’ lives a misery and received a lot of complaints. The dumped rubbish contained rotting chicken and metal ventilation ducting – the poor storage of waste was defacing land and causing a rat infestation. The Courts were also shocked to see such blatant disrespect for the neighbourhood and law and found the restaurant guilty of all offences and fined them £7,675. It’s rare for cases like this to be taken to Court, so much so that regional London news and The Mirror all picked up and published the story.” Ron said, “I’m slightly shocked, not only to have been nominated but to have won too. It’s so nice to have been recognised in this way.” A huge well done to everyone who was nominated!