Leader's update - Friday 13 February 2026

Published: 13 February 2026 Portrait of Councillor Kam Rai, labelled with the words "Leader's message"

Last Friday we had the pleasure of Baroness Casey and Wes Streeting MP visiting Link Place in Hainault. This is an important day service for adults with neurological disorders and physical disabilities, and it was humbling to hear how they overcome some of their day to day challenges and how some of them give back to our borough by volunteering and creating social enterprises.

This week I was delighted to welcome year 5 and 6 children from Newbury Park Primary School to the Town Hall. It was an honour to show them around, discuss the role of the Council and hear about what they would like to see from the Council.  As ever I was reminded that some of the most thoughtful and constructive questions come from our youngsters. It was a pleasure to meet them and their teachers.

Yesterday we held our Step In Conference, that builds on the work of our award winning This Had to Stop campaign. This campaign aims to end violence against women and girls. The conference was a student-led event, with pupils in years 6 to 9 who had taken part in the pilot programme of Step In, showcasing their work. In this programme, students explore the realities of harassment both in-person and online and discuss how to identify it. This is tackled through 10 short yet engaging sessions in secondary schools, and through five impactful lessons for Redbridge's year 6 pupils. The programme builds understanding of the profound impact it has on individuals and communities, and learn actionable steps to stand up against these unacceptable behaviours.

I also visited our healthy bus. This bus continues to visit places across our borough, providing free health checks. This time it was outside South Woodford Mosque which gave local people an opportunity to pop in and get a check-up.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone who is fasting during Ramadan, a fulfilling and reflective month. I look forward to seeing many of you during the celebrations at Eid.

Have a good weekend.

 

Cllr Kam Rai,

Leader of the Council