“The last year has been one of progress and achievement for the Council. We have continued to prioritise on the things that residents tell us are most important to them - making Redbridge a safer place to live, and a greener, cleaner Borough - and we will continue to focus on these, as part of our overall aim to make Redbridge a better place to live.

“At the same time we are managing our resources well, with the fourth lowest spending and third lowest Council Tax of our 'nearest neighbours' group of London Boroughs.  In education and social care we are providing some of the best-performing services in London at one of the lowest costs.

“This was all recognised in our latest external inspection, which said that the Council was performing and improving well, and providing good value for money.

"In 2006/07, the Band D Council Tax in Redbridge worked out at £3.47 a day for all services,including those directly provided by the Council, such as keeping the streets clean, crime reduction, providing social care, leisure centres, parks and libraries as well as those provided by the Greater London Authority (GLA), such as the police, fire service and London Transport.

"That's about the same cost as a takeaway meal, and less than having your shopping delivered from the supermarket or a single Tube ticket! 

“For local people it's not who delivers the services that is important but how well it is done.  That's why the Council has excellent relationships with the Police and Primary Care Trust to deliver services together and you’ll see this go from strength to strength.

“For the future we will continue to invest for our growing population, with the regeneration in Ilford and Gants Hill as well as preparing for the Olympics.

“It’s really important to hear what you think and we are developing more ways to get your views, especially through the exciting new Redbridge i website which I hope you will find useful and visit regularly."

Councillor Alan Weinberg, Leader of the Council