London Borough of Redbridge

Zulfiqar Mulak MBE has been appointed Redbridge Council’s new permanent Operational Director for Housing after working as an interim here since March 2024. With housing experience spanning almost 40 years, he brings a wealth of expertise which includes operational and strategic work, as well as a track record of delivery at high profile London Boroughs as an Assistant Director and Director. Before joining Redbridge Council, Zulfiqar was Interim Director of Housing at Liverpool City Council where he established positive change.  He has also worked at Haringey, Newham, Hackney, Hillingdon, Waltham Forest, and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea councils. Steve Moore, our Corporate Director of Communities, said “Zulfiqar brings extensive experience of delivering large scale transformation programmes and budget savings which will be incredibly valuable to the work we are doing to shape the future of Redbridge Council.” Zulfiqar’s passion and dedication to support and develop local communities and make a difference aligns with our community-focused approach. He said, “I am delighted and excited to continue the positive work at Redbridge Council and hope I can use my extensive experience and ‘can do’ attitude to make a real difference to the borough and its communities. I have really enjoyed my time here to date and look forward to developing some of the positive outcomes already delivered.” Zulfiqar has also worked for the housing minister and successfully delivered regional and national targets in Housing. He was awarded an MBE in 2001 having been nominated by the Deputy Prime Minister.

We are delighted to share that Jan Booth, Children's Participation Officer, won the September Star of the Month staff award. Line Manager, Jenny Norwood, nominated Jan for organising a successful and memorable Youth Fest through meticulous planning and collaborating with young people and 15 partners. "I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks to Jan for the exceptional work in organising this year's Youth Fest (Y-Fest). The Youth Service’s one day festival organised by, and for, young people, was held at Hainault Youth Centre at the end of the summer holidays. The planning and execution were flawless thanks to Jan's meticulous approach and clear vision. It was particularly impressive how Jan involved young people throughout the process. By incorporating feedback from last year’s Y-fest and actively listening to the Monday Night Hainault Youth Centre and Youth Involvement groups, Jan ensured that the festival was truly inclusive. Their ideas were not only heard but also thoughtfully integrated into the planning, resulting in a fresh lineup of activities and organisations in attendance and offering a range of activities and experiences. The festival’s success was also due to the hands on involvement of young people in setting up and running the activities on the day. Their engagement in every aspect of the event contributed to a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. The Festival Passport was a brilliant addition, which the young people enjoyed completing and ensured that everyone participated, and one person had the opportunity to win a voucher. The festival was a huge success, in no small part due to the involvement of over 15 partners, including London Ambulance Service, Connexions and Kooth. Their contributions were instrumental in bringing everything together. The festival provided a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn new skills and have fun. Whilst there were other people involved in the planning for Y-Fest and helped on the day, to whom I also give a big thank you to, it is Jan, who, as a staff team we feel deserves the special recognition for making the festival such a memorable and successful event! I can’t wait for next year, where Jan is already working with young people to bring in more partners and activities." Congratulations to Jan on your well-deserved win! #recognition #winner

Congratulations to our Family Intervention Team who were crowned our August Team Star of the Month winners. Congratulations team ⭐ Siobhan McGeary nominated the Family Intervention Team for their dedication in providing an outstanding service to young people in Redbridge and collaborating with a range of services to provide them with more opportunities and support. Please find the full nomination details below: “Teenagers can be challenging; those who know one understand they are often the most misunderstood individuals on the planet. Nonetheless, the social workers in the Family Intervention Team (FIT) dedicate themselves to working with difficult-to-reach teenagers who have faced or are at risk of exploitation, gang involvement, violence, and more. Each member of the team speaks highly of their young people and have a passion for good outcomes. The social workers in the team work creatively and collaboratively with Education, Connexions, Health and Community services to divert young people into education/training/activities…etc. Staff receive positive feedback from young people on a regular basis. An example of this is during the six weeks holiday when a young girl messaged their social worker saying, "I can't express how grateful I am you guys gave me the opportunity to spend two weeks at Pineapple Dance Studios - I haven’t smoked the whole week and have improved so much." The young girl now wants to look at a dance college, so the social worker is exploring dance scholarships. They go above and beyond with providing an outstanding service - one social worker collected a young person and his family after hours to drive them out of borough to a place of safety provided by Housing due to the fear of youth violence and criminal exploitation. Whilst the social worker was there, he ensured they got food and provisions etc. While I acknowledge my bias in this nomination, I simply want to give a huge shout out to the team; they are truly amazing individuals, and some might even call them stars!!!” Congratulations to the team and well done to everyone who was nominated.

We’re delighted to share that Claire Shah, Perpetrator Specialist from our Reach Out Service has been crowned our August Employee Star of the Month. Congratulations Claire! ⭐ Line manager, Emma Pattison, nominated Claire for her unwavering dedication which has led to life-changing outcomes for victims/survivors of domestic abuse and for being an inspirational role model for the wider team.  Emma said “Claire is deeply committed to supporting families affected by domestic abuse. She takes time to understand the issues that make a victim/survivor feel that they cannot cope and addresses these to disrupt the pull back to the perpetrator. Through her work, she helps victims/survivors who have felt unheard for years to rebuild their lives and even reunite with their children. The impact of this work should not be underestimated. For example, since August last year, Claire has provided weekly support to a family, often travelling a long distance to do so. She has achieved multiple outcomes, including:   • supporting the survivor and children to flee a high harm, high risk perpetrator • financial support, including an application for benefits and essential items through the Buttle Trust • practical support, including building furniture • challenging creditors with legislation to reduce tens of thousands of pounds of coerced debt • securing school placements for all three children, including one for a non-verbal child with autism, and building their confidence to attend (all children had been out of school for a number of years as a tool of the perpetrator’s abuse) • facilitating a Claire’s Law disclosure that led to criminal charges for the perpetrator   Without a shadow of doubt, Claire's support has been life changing for the family. The client shared, “l had the best support from Claire who has worked tirelessly with me in putting all the pieces together for us, driving back and forth once every week. I could have never done half by myself.” Claire's impact extends to the perpetrators she works with; one shared, “I have spoken to lots of people and had therapy but the person I really trust and opened up to more than anyone is Claire. She really listens to me and I feel safe talking to her.” Claire consistently supports the wider service, stepping in wherever needed without hesitation. She balances multiple roles without complaint and executes each task with excellence. As a leader, Claire is a role model who empowers her team and champions their development."   A team member shared, “Claire is truly one of a kind. Her unwavering dedication to clients, service users, and her team goes above and beyond. She prioritises our emotional and mental well-being, encouraging us to be our best selves so we can deliver exceptional work. Her hard work has achieved remarkable results, leading to life-changing outcomes.”   Congratulations Claire and well done to everyone who was nominated!

Appreciation goes a long way, and we’d like to thank our staff and partners who work together to make Redbridge a great place to work and visit. We’d like to invite everyone to tag an individual or organisation and thank them for making a positive difference in their professional life. We’ll go first… Redbridge Council staff have already achieved a lot this year by working collaboratively on projects and events. These include: ·      Launching our Redbridge On Demand British Sign Language (BSL) service with Sign Solutions and The Language Shop Ltd ·      Organising our Disability Awareness Festival with the help of One Place East, Uniting Friends, & the Redbridge Forum. ·      Hosting an event sponsored by Version1 in which Redbridge staff, Councillors, the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF and local private sector partners discussed additional support for young people leaving care. ·      Installing 34 new, fast, on-street Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers with Uber and Believ ·      Being part of the Local Community Fostering Service, a pilot scheme from the Department of Education (DfE), in collaboration with London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Newham & London Borough of Tower Hamlets ·      Trailing a new asphalt mix with Kenson Highways, Tarmac & Low Carbon Materials (LCM) Thank you to our staff members for their excellent partnership working & to our external partners for their support in helping us make Redbridge a fantastic place for everyone to live in, work in & visit. Your contributions are invaluable, and we look forward to our continued success together. We are delighted that our staff's dedication to improving the borough and providing up-to-date information and support to our residents, has been widely recognised through national awards. Our Redbridge Council website was ranked the top performing Local Government website nationally by Sitemorse. We’ve won awards from Keep Britain Tidy and InfraRed Capital Partners Ltd. Additionally, we’ve been shortlisted for awards by The Municipal Journal and the Local Government Chronicle. Thank you to the following teams for your outstanding efforts – IT, Digital, Neighbourhoods Engagement Team, Public Health, Education and Inclusion and Reach Out service. In another significant achievement, Redbridge Council became one of only three local authorities to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ grade across every criterion within the Ofsted Inspecting Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) inspection framework. A massive thank you to our Children & Families department for their exceptional work. Our Community Safety and Communications teams also gained national coverage on ITV for ‘Don't Stand By, Step In’, for our award-winning This Has To Stop campaign. These are just a few of the achievements we have had so far this year. Thank you all for your hard work, dedication and the positive impact you make to our community. Who would you like to thank?

Congratulations to our Careers Hub team who have been crowned our July Team Star of the Month winners. Congratulations team ⭐ Caroline Lee, Careers Hub Enterprise Co-ordinator, nominated the Careers Hub team for organising several successful events which reached a great number of people, and receiving positive feedback from the GLA for making an amazing amount of progress. The Careers Hub team have held and hosted the following - Sustainability and Careers Festival reaching 1,500 students on Free School Meals, Creative and Digital Careers Fair reaching 500 students, two Career Fairs for young people with a disability and a Career Leader Conference supported by Oli De Botton, the Chief Executive Officer of the Careers Enterprise Company. The Careers Hub team received the outstanding feedback below from one of our key funders the Greater London Authority. The GLA work with all four Career Hubs across London, and it is a huge achievement to receive so much praise for them and may help our bid when we need to bid for the Careers Hub again in 2025. “I just wanted to say thank you all so much for all that you have done and achieved this year within the Local London Careers Hub – East. I know sometimes, the focus is on achieving 100% of all targets, but the work you have carried out this year has created an amazing amount of progress made over time and is something I hope you are all very proud of. I am so happy and proud of the Hub and all of the work you do! The amount that the London Careers Hubs have achieved in such a short space of time in comparison to the national Career Hubs who are more established is fantastic and noticed by the GLA. You have all been a key part of this progression.  On a personal note, thank you for making me feel so welcome working with you this year, and being patient with me whilst I picked up the ropes. I’ve really enjoyed working with you all this year and am so excited for what next year will bring.”  Congratulations to the team and well done to everyone who was nominated.

We’re delighted to share that melinda woodgate, our Services Development Officer has won our July Employee Star of the Month winner. Congratulations Melinda! ⭐ Jane Smith, our Benefit Manager, nominated Melinda “for her exceptional performance and dedication since being tasked with overseeing the Household Support Fund budget in which she demonstrated remarkable leadership and efficiency. When Melinda took charge, the team had become much smaller however, despite the reduction in resources, she faced the challenge head-on. Melinda inherited a backlog of claims that needed to be processed urgently. She immediately went into action, devising a clear plan to address the backlog. Melinda worked tirelessly alongside her colleague, displaying excellent teamwork, problem-solving skills, and an unwavering commitment to her role. Within just two weeks, she successfully processed and dealt with all the outstanding claims, ensuring that payments were made promptly and accurately. Her ability to manage the budget, clear the backlog, and maintain the integrity of the support fund under such challenging circumstances is truly commendable. Melinda's performance not only reflects her exceptional work ethic but also her dedication to supporting the community and ensuring that those in need received the assistance they needed. Her exceptional efforts and outstanding results make her a deserving recipient of the Employee Star of the Month award. Congratulations Melinda and well done to everyone who was nominated! We will be sharing our Team Star of the Month next week.

We are the first borough in London to trial a unique, new asphalt mix that can significantly reduce the carbon footprint in road resurfacing works. The trailblazing project led by Redbridge Council, in partnership with Kenson Highways, utilised the revolutionary asphalt for road resurfacing works at Lodge Hill, in Ilford. The asphalt mix, supplied by Tarmac, significantly lowered the carbon footprint from the road resurfacing process by incorporating a carbon negative product into the mix, called ACLA®. Results showed that using ACLA®, Tarmac’s asphalt had reduced the project’s carbon footprint by 68%, which is equivalent to an average UK car driving 17,400 miles, or a round trip to Los Angeles for two people. ACLA® was designed and manufactured by Earthshot Prize finalist climate tech company Low Carbon Materials (LCM). It works by capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to permanently remove it and lock it into the resurfaced road. Typically, there are three layers of asphalt applied when resurfacing roads. For the trial ACLA® was used in the middle layer, ensuring the entire middle layer of the road was net zero, as well as significantly lowering the project's carbon footprint overall. Steve Moore, our Corporate Director of Communities said, “Redbridge Council is proud to be the first London borough to pioneer this new trial in partnership with Kensons, Low Carbon Materials, and Tarmac. This innovative initiative not only aims to enhance infrastructure but also demonstrates our commitment to creating a cleaner and greener borough.” David Shelley, Director for Kenson Highways, said, “Our ongoing collaboration with Redbridge aims to identify methods to reduce carbon emissions, and this initiative represents one of several efforts to decrease emissions throughout the borough. Kenson Highways is proud to have contributed to this trial and remains committed to supporting the reduction of carbon footprints in both current and future projects.” Tim Smith, Senior Technical Manager (South East) at Tarmac added, “There has never been a more important time to explore innovative, carbon-saving solutions and materials. By collaborating with supply chain and industry partners on this project we have demonstrated what's possible in delivering greener roads. It’s crucial that the learnings from this project help to inform further decarbonisation of the road network.” Natasha Boulding, CEO of LCM, said, “This project offers a blueprint for best-practice and a clear roadmap for dramatically reducing the environmental impact of road construction and maintenance.” The trial is a great example of collaboration and working towards a sustainable future.

The Local Government Chronicle Workforce awards celebrates achievements in local government. We’re delighted to share that Emma Pattison, Kalbinder Benning, and Shona Galt are finalists for 3 different categories. Congratulations! Emma - Head of Service of the Year Emma launched and rapidly grew the Reach Out service which provides holistic support to survivors of domestic abuse, commissions therapeutic support for children and young people, and has a user satisfaction score of 95%. Emma also delivers the accredited perpetrator programme, Spotlight, for those wishing to address their abusive behaviours. It has proven to be highly effective at reducing police callouts and the need for social care involvement.  Emma supports her team’s wellbeing with access to counselling and support. She encourages her team’s professional development which was recently demonstrated when she secured external funding for members of the team to complete their Independent Domestic Violence Abuse (IDVA) qualification. Her tenacity in supporting vulnerable people, and care for her team make Emma an outstanding leader. Kalbinder – Back Office Hero Kalbinder is dedicated to providing better outcomes for our residents and has an unmatched drive to step beyond the obvious end point of a project, making the services and outcomes even better for the Redbridge community. She continually looks at innovative ways of doing things to provide better experiences for customers and for staff. Kalbinder opened and launched engagement hubs in the borough, and then continued with the project to create a tranquil garden beside it enabling service users and partners to meet privately and calmly, away from busy streets.  Kalbinder said, “I am so humbled and honoured to have been nominated and grateful for the opportunities that the Council’s projects have given me, working with great colleagues and partners, and serving residents. Despite challenging times, we strive for new and better ways to do things for the borough and our residents.” Shona - Graduate of the Year Shona has embedded a strategic whole Council approach to corporate parenting and encouraged local organisations to pledge their support for care leavers, with leisure discounts, training, guaranteed job interviews and more. Through mentoring, Shona has supported individuals with applications and increasing their networks to enable them to be offered places at Harvard and Imperial College London. Shona said, “It’s a privilege to be recognised alongside such talented colleagues. I owe a lot to the graduate scheme at Redbridge, which provided me with insights into a number of council services and has been a great stepping stone. I have thoroughly enjoyed project managing the Care Leaver Covenant alongside other Children’s and Adults’ Social Care projects and can’t wait to get involved in future projects that deliver positive outcomes for our residents.” Winners will be announced in November. Good luck! 

We’re delighted to share that our Civic Pride Business Support Team won our very first Team Star of the Month award. Congratulations team ⭐ Barbara Kakoulli, nominated the team for working tirelessly and overcoming several challenges to provide support to our front-line services, contractors, and residents to ensure local people receive excellent services. Barbara said “Within Civic Pride we have one brilliant resilient Business Support Team. Although the team is under resourced, every member of the team works tirelessly, providing the support needed to our front-line services to ensure residents receive the excellent services we deliver. The main focus of the team’s work is to work with residents, services and contractors to resolve issues raised by residents regarding service delivery.  Over the last few months, although already stretched doing their day-to-day work, the team had several challenges which increased their workload considerably. Some examples of this include the process of the sale of our commercial waste contract, industrial action by our waste contractor which affected all residents in the borough, redeployment of team members to provide support in the one of our other services, and the secondment of staff leaving us even more shorthanded than before. The team is working extremely hard, supporting each other and staying positive through very challenging times. They deserve recognition for their positive forward-thinking approach in the midst of the various challenges they are currently facing on a daily basis, whilst also being affected by challenges and changes within the organisation.” Congratulations to the team and well done to everyone who was nominated! Out Star of the Month award shines a light on individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond. #recognition #celebrate #award