Leader's update - Friday 10 July 2026

Published: 10 July 2026

Dear neighbours,

After another captivating performance from the England Men’s National Team in the early hours of Monday morning, people across the country are starting to believe.

To mark tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway, the Council will be proudly flying the St George’s Flag from Redbridge Town Hall. Across our borough, many of us will be cheering on the Three Lions, hoping for another memorable performance and a place in the semi-finals.

I hope you enjoy the game and, with any luck, the celebrations afterwards. Come on England!

This week, I was in Bournemouth attending the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual conference. It’s always a highlight of the year, bringing together councils, experts, ministers and local leaders to discuss the issues that matter most to our communities. While I was there, I also had the opportunity to meet with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Education to discuss issues important to Redbridge and ensure our borough’s voice is heard at the national level.

One of my highlights was chairing a discussion on workforce development. We explored how councils and employers can help more people into good jobs, support young people to succeed, and create more opportunities in our neighbourhoods.

It’s also been another very warm week in Redbridge. I hope you’ve been able to enjoy the sunshine while staying safe in the heat.

Collecting bins safely and efficiently becomes more difficult in extreme temperatures. Our waste collection crews have been working incredibly hard, and we’ve done everything possible to minimise disruption. To manage the impact of the heat, we prioritised refuse collections ahead of recycling and green garden waste. I’m pleased to report that all refuse and recycling collections were completed as scheduled today, and those services are now fully up to date, with green garden waste collections returning to normal by the end of the weekend.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to get services fully back on track.

The wildfire risk in London this weekend has been raised to extreme. This means the chance of unexpected fires starting and spreading is much higher than usual. Please help reduce the risk by following the rules in our parks and open spaces, which are there for everyone’s safety. BBQs are not permitted in any of our parks, and I ask that you avoid using any naked flames. Please also dispose of cigarette butts safely. Thank you for helping to keep our borough safe.

The hot weather can be especially difficult for people sleeping rough. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in recent years to reduce rough sleeping in Redbridge, but we know that some people still need our support.

During periods of extreme heat, ensuring people have somewhere safe to stay is especially important. If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Redbridge, please consider contacting StreetLink . By letting them know where someone is, outreach teams can locate them and help connect them with local services and support.

That’s all for this week.

Have a great weekend, stay safe in the heat, and take care.

Kam