Our budget 

Like more than 300 councils across the UK, Redbridge Council has faced years of government funding cuts, and as a result, we have had to make difficult decisions to protect key services that local people value the most. Despite these challenges, Redbridge remains one of the most cost-effective councils in the country, delivering high quality, good value services.

This financial year (2020/21), on top of continuing to grapple with insufficient government funding for the services we provide, we also now face an additional forecast gap of £43m in our current year budget, largely due to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic response has had on Redbridge.

The government pledged to repay local authorities for their work keeping local people safe during the pandemic. However, we have, so far, received only £18m of the estimated £61m forecast to be spent to keep local people safe in Redbridge. This leaves a potential forecast gap of £43m - equivalent to the council's entire service budget (excluding social care).

The council has also published its Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), which outlines a forecast budget gap of £83.663m between 2021 and 2025.

In 2021/22 alone, Redbridge Council has to make £25.193m of savings, and we need residents' help to decide where these savings should be made. This gap is a result of inadequate funding to meet the growing needs of Redbridge residents, and the legacy of COVID-19 on the council's budgets.