13 June 2012
Press release number: PR1803
Review of public conveniences
Cabinet received a report exploring potential options for the
future of the Borough’s public toilets.
The report reviewed a number of options including:
- Introduction of a Community Toilet Scheme
- Disposal or development of certain public conveniences
and replacement with automatic facilities
- Outsourcing of existing public conveniences to a specialist
private sector company
There are no current proposals for further closures of public
conveniences; indeed Cabinet has recommended to Council that Policy
and Budget Framework be amended to allow the Vision Redbridge,
Culture and Leisure, to reopen the Aldborough Road South Public
Convenience on a seasonal basis. This is on the basis of
joint funding by Vision Redbridge and Area Committees Five and
Seven.
2012/13 Highways major works programme
Cabinet approved the Highways Major Works Programme which
outlines how the funds from the Council and external sources will
be used to maintain and improve the roads in the Borough.
The programme includes £300,000 for Traffic Management, £497,000
for lighting, and £438,000 for preventative maintenance to the
Borough’s roads. The programme also highlights a further
£2.1m of TFL funding for the next phase of the development of
Manford Way.
Redbridge Community Fund Awards
Cabinet agreed to award 2012/13 funding from the Redbridge
Community Fund to voluntary and community organisations.
£200,000 was set aside from Council resources to set up a
community fund to help community initiatives in the Borough.
Cabinet awarded £198,830.53 to fund projects from the following
organisations:
- Circle 33 Housing Trust (Queens Mary Gate Project)
- Redbridge Foodbank (“People in crisis” Food Distribution
Project)
- Prince's Trust (Enterprise)
- Redbridge CVS (Community Fundraiser)
- Goodmayes Residents Association (Elder House Community
Centre)
- Omnibus Kids Gloves (The Be Well and legacy Project)
- SATKAR Health & Social Group Redbridge (Health, Social and
Well-being for the Elderly)
- Fairlop Paddlesport (Inclusive, Accessible, Affordable
Community Paddlesport)
- Open Doors Family Project ( Health and Wellbeing)
- LifeLine (Switch ID)
- Hermitage Residents Association (Jubilee Healthy
Communities)
- Orchard Residents Association (Jubilee Healthy
Communities)
- Pre-School Learning Alliance (Inclusion drop-in Group)
- Woodford Festival Association (Mobile Stage and Gallery
Festival 2012)
The £1,169.47 balance will be used to support other smaller
community projects in the Borough.
The write off of rent arrears for temporary accommodation
Having exhausted all avenues open to the Council to recover rent
charge arrears from Temporary Accommodation, Cabinet agreed to
write off the debt of £609,606.07.
There is enough in the provision to write off the bad debt without
there being an impact on the revenue budget. The Council will
continue to keep its provision of bad debts under review.
Preparations underway for move of Redbridge Homes services to
the Council
A new staffing structure for the Council’s housing service has
been agreed by Cabinet. The restructure will coincide with
the services provided by Redbridge Homes transferring in house from
Wednesday 1 August.
As part of this change, Cabinet also agreed to a new Borough
wide Resident Panel for tenants and leaseholders to tell us their
views on the housing service.
A further report on the details of the resident engagement model
will go to Cabinet when proposals have been finalised.
The decision proposed in the recommendations of this report may
not be requisitioned.
Better Barkingside – Acceptance of Mayoral Major Projects grant
offer
An important project aimed at reinvigorating the economy in
Barkingside and providing a higher quality of life for people
living in and around the town centre has been agreed by
Cabinet.
The Council has been successful in securing a grant of
£1,913,111 from the Mayor’s Major Projects Fund towards a project
called “Better Barkingside”, to be matched with £200,000 from
Redbridge Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), £25,000
made up from Section 106 resources and Area 3 Committee budget and
£8,000 provided by Vision, who manage Culture and Leisure services
on behalf of the Council.
Cabinet agreed to approve the expenditure and delegate future
project and budgetary decisions to the Chief Officers for Planning
and Regeneration and highways and Cleansing in consultation with
the Cabinet Members for Regeneration and Property and Environment
and Transportation.
This Cabinet decision is subject to the requisition
procedure.
