Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Summary of feedback from residents

Background Local Forums are one of the ways in which the council engages with residents from across the borough. Each Forum allows residents to speak and raise issues with officers from different service areas across the council, police officers, and the leader of the Council, Councillor Jas Athwal. There are four Local Forums held quarterly every year in each locality (North, South, East and West).

For more information about the Forums, please visit www.redbridge.gov.uk/localforums.

The structure of the Local Forums allows residents to raise general issues with their local councillors, and the possible solutions to resolve these issues, before focusing on a specific and significant issue within their local community and across the borough. For this round of local forums the topic of discussion was around air quality, following on from the Council’s recent consultation on the Air Quality Action Plan.

Local Forums for this round were held on the following dates and venues:

• South Wards – June 12th – Cranbrook Primary School, The Drive, , IG1 3PS • East Wards – July 24th – Isaac Newton Academy Primary School, Ilford, IG1 1FY • North Wards – July 31st – Caterham High School, Caterham Avenue, IG5 0QW • West Wards – August 1st – Woodbridge High School, St Barnabas Road, Woodford, IG8 7DQ

Each local forum also invited residents to ask questions to the Leader of the Council on all issues concerning the borough.

What Our Residents Said General discussion about their area For the first part of the Forum, residents were asked to share what they felt were the key issues in their area and the possible solutions to resolve the issues. The tables in Annex A provide a full list of the responses provided by residents during this segment of the forum.

Whilst each area had their own issues, there were themes emerging across each locality. In the South, the main issues were around crime, including drug dealing and prostitution. The solutions suggested included greater police and Redbridge Enforcement Officer presence and implementing Streetwatch in different areas, an initiative which has had success in some Wards. Residents also raised concerns around parking issues within their area.

In the East locality, the main issues were around waste and parking and other issues relating to vehicles. Proposed solutions include imposing speed limits and controlled parking zones as well as learning from groups of residents who have taken it upon themselves to resolve issues around waste. These were also prominent issues in the North neighbourhood, where many residents also raised concerns around unsightly front gardens in their area and the unkept conditions of pavements. In the West neighbourhood, street cleansing and parking issues were some of the major issues residents had with their area. Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Focussed discussion on Air Quality For this round of Local Forums, the topic of the focussed discussion was on air quality. It followed on from the Council’s consultation on the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), with the presentation outlining the aims of the AQAP and the measures the Council are seeking to introduce to achieve these aims. Themis Skouros, Group Manager Environmental Health and leading on the AQAP, gave the presentation at each forum, which asked residents two questions:

1. What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? 2. What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge?

The discussion allowed residents the opportunity to share their views on other ways in which the Council are able to improve air quality across the borough, acting as a sounding board for some of the Council’s proposed ideas, as well as giving an indication of how far residents themselves are willing to go to improve air quality and identifying where the Council could build on this.

Some residents appear to be more willing than others to go further to help improve air quality over the next two to three years. The changes residents said that they were willing to make included getting rid of their car if there a good scrappage scheme was offered, walking their children to school instead of driving them and talking to their local mosque to encourage worshippers to walk and not drive to the mosque. Other changes include trying to use more public transport and planting trees in their own back garden. The vehicle scrappage scheme would be delivered by Central Government who are currently focusing funding on providing low emission vehicle charging infrastructure.

There were a number of different ideas shared by residents on what more the Council could be doing to improve air quality in Redbridge. Some ideas were provided by residents from across all the localities, such as planting more trees, including on roads to prevent vehicle access, and encouraging more parents to walk their children to school or take the bus. This gives the Council an indication of measures that could potentially be implemented borough-wide. Other, more unique, ideas suggested included amending planning policy to require use of solar panels on buildings, child friendly cycle routes to encourage younger residents and families to cycle more and restricting the number of cars per household. Currently, residents are charged more for residential parking permits for additional vehicles per household.

There were also suggestions that the Council should upgrade their infrastructure to help discourage use of petrol and diesel cars and encourage cycling and use of electric vehicles. This included upgrading the cycling infrastructure (including storage for bikes), introducing new cycling routes and installing more charging points for electric vehicles. Residents also suggested that expanding the Mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to other parts of Redbridge would improve air quality. There were also suggestions that the Council implement their ULEZ across the borough. The ULEZ is managed by TfL who intend to extend it to the M25 in the future.

Better road traffic management and enforcement and management was also called for. Some residents felt that clamping down on drivers who park on double yellow lines or at road junctions, thereby blocking and slowing the flow of traffic, could help improve air quality across the borough.

Greening our streets is important for our wellbeing and Transport for has adopted a ‘Healthy Streets’ approach to tackling air pollution which prioritises walking cycling and public transport and is outlined in the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy. This a long-term plan which means that more street seats and greenery are proposed, reducing congestion, lowering vehicle speeds and Local Forum Report – June to August 2019 street closures for activities in the street. These Healthy Streets proposals will be integrated into Redbridge’s Local Implementation Plan for transport.

Engine idling is a source of air pollution and the next major air quality project run by Themis’ team will be the cross-London Idling campaign due to commence early next year. The campaign involves 28 London boroughs and will initially focus on idling and congestion at primary schools in the borough. Volunteers are being recruited to help with the campaign and if you’d like to participate please email [email protected].

Annex B provides the full feedback shared by residents. Next Steps The feedback provided by residents have been shared with the relevant service areas, to consider the issues raised and suggested solutions and to be used as part of the consultation on the Air Quality Action Plan.

Themis Skouros, Environmental Health Group Manager would like to thank you for your participation and appreciates the feedback you gave. Many of the suggestions made have been included in the updated Air Quality Action Plan.

The Air Quality Action Plan is scheduled for the Cabinet meeting in October 2019 for approval. Following the meeting an AQAP Steering Group will be set up to ensure clear governance and ownership of this plan. The Steering Group will be headed by Cllr John Howard the Cabinet Member for Civic Pride and will consist of representatives from Environmental Health, Public Health, Planning, Transport and other relevant teams. The group will meet periodically to evaluate AQAP progress.

In evaluating the action plan, the steering group will seek to identify the following:

• If there are existing programmes in other council service areas that will contribute to emissions reductions (or increases) that should be accounted for within the AQAP • What may influence local pollution in the borough in the near future (i.e. 5 to 10 years) • The future trends that are likely to contribute (regional emissions trends as well as local factors) • If more technical assessment may be required before proceeding to update the AQAP • If traffic management interventions are required

All updates and initiatives will be posted on Redbridge’s Air Quality webpage.

Q&A Session Detailed notes of each Q&A session can be found on the Local Forum webpage. Below is a summary of some issues and points raised by residents which were not answered during the forums but have since been followed up with the relevant service area.

• Controlling the number of and waste produced by geese in South Park: o Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure are using control techniques as advised by guidance produced by Natural . Paths are swept and mechanically brushed as often as resources allow. • Delay in implementation of parking restrictions on the Harts Grove Estate, : o The scheme was programmed accordingly in line with resources and priority commitments, which explains any delay in the implementation of the scheme. We Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

now plan to have the scheme up and running by 16th September. All residents affected have been sent letters requesting them to apply for their permits. • Consultation on parking proposals in Woodford Wells which did not seek the views of businesses that would be affected: o We consulted with and considered the views of both residents and businesses during the Woodford Wells parking consultation in December 2018. The consultation was available online through the Council’s consultation portal and was open for response for everyone affected, including schools. • The high number of agency staff employed by the Council: o Moving staff in-house is not always the cheapest option as there will be associated costs in doing so although we acknowledge that there are benefits on a more permanent workforce. Over the past 2 years, we have reduced our agency headcount by 45.5%. • Council’s contract with Ringo, including how much money raised goes back into the Council: o The Council raised £1,892,347 through Ringo for financial year 2018/19. Parking income is ringfenced and can only be used to cover the cost of running the service, highway schemes (such as CPZs), improving services relating to parking and concessionary travel (freedom passes). o RingGo does not make any money from the Council; they only make money on customers who wish to get a text message confirmation of their parking session. RingGo have passed all of our procurement checks. Any concerns about RIngo transferring money offshore is an issue that would need to be raised with HMRC.

Update on Community Hubs During the previous round of local forums, held earlier this year between January and March, residents from some of the neighbourhood groups were asked about the Council’s Community Hubs programmes, including the Community Hub, and the services they would like to see operating out of the hubs based on the needs within their local area.

The feedback provided by residents have been taken into account as part of the co-design process. Key themes which have include:

• Leisure: o Inclusion of flexible exercise facilities to promote exercise and healthy living • Health & Social Care: o A wide range of preventative and well-being activities benefitting from co-location to a GP surgery and health hub as well as including complementary therapies, counselling and sexual heath advice for young people • Children: o Provision of children’s centre services, new parent support, play areas and outdoor sensory spaces. A safe space for after school activities, in an environment linked to learning and skills development • Youth: o Youth club and activities to raise self-esteem, along with advice to promote early intervention in tackling knife crime and gangs • Education and learning: Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

o New library facilities to include study space, computers and quiet reading space. Learning space to include adult learning and opportunities for day service users • Environment: o Look and feel of the hub both internally and externally should take an eco-friendly approach. Desire for green spaces around the hub with a community garden linked to a community run café/kitchen • Togetherness: o Key theme emerging from early consultation, reflecting a desire for the hub to be an inclusive and non-judgemental space for the most vulnerable residents. Tackling isolation and loneliness through community and cultural events for all ages and backgrounds

The following table responds to the feedback from the local community and the analysis of the locality data to identify those services which have been considered by the Board for inclusion and are therefore recommended for Cabinet approval.

Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Annex A South Wards Valentines Issues in Valentines Proposed Solutions Safety Drug dealing (Cranbrook road in the day) Telephone box Balfour Road misused Working to make these open Feels Ilford lane has improved but still concerns over open drug dealing Gate behind Londek is left open so being used for prostitution and drug dealing Cranbrook Issues in Cranbrook Proposed Solutions Food waste recycling bins - any council measures? Other LAs have specific food waste bins & food waste collections Green bags get flown away Bin collection problems Studley Drive - burglary Public toilets (disable resident) town centre Parking enforcement (Belgrave, Seymour, Kensington) block driveways Parking payment system in parks Eastern Ave medical centre? Shrubbery overhanging pavement Begging (Cranbrook Road, Ilford Centre) Rough sleepers Loxford Issues in Loxford Proposed Solutions ASB More police presence, REOs Prostitution - long term solution Education around ASB and rubbish/cleaning Flytipping Report all ASB Drug dealing Streetwatch Homelessness Design out crime - Jubilee Gardens Parking Safe houses for sex workers - better able to catch pimps 24hr licensing no of betting shops HMOs lack of green space Jubilee Gardens development

Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

East Wards Chadwell Issues in Chadwell Proposed Solutions We do not want wheelie bins Nil response Mayfield Issues in Mayfield Proposed Solutions Rubbish in roads - Guildford Road near Primary Laki Begum from the Council's School - school children rubbish thrown out of cars Neighbourhood service to speak with school Speeding cars on Guildford Road 20mph speed limit Eisher Road drug dealing etc Policing Recycling: pensioners are doing it – build on this North Wards Issues in Barkingside Proposed Solutions Illegal motor trader Woodford Avenue/ Wycombe Road Fly Tipping Side road heavily littered with laughing gas canisters and dumped rubbish Thorpedale Gardens - unadopted, fly tipping, drug Thorpedale Gardens - Either adoption, or dealing, abandoned vehicles development, or incorporation of land into neighbouring gardens Incineration of rubbish in gardens Smoking excessively in outdoor gardens (especially Cannabis) CPZ - planning enforcement Woodford Avenue - Littering of front gardens and roads as there are no public bins Fullwell Issues Proposed Solutions Builders damaging the footway with trucks and skips, leaving less walking space

Berkely Avenue, both sides into Purley Close and Cameras and lights Dacre Avenue cars park and the throw food and drink remains into the street Drug dealing in Fullwell, Caterham Avenue alleyway More police presence locally Lack of pavement and road cleaning, general littering Rats due to overgrown gardens Delay in bulky waste collection (1 months for a bed) Minicabs creating litter Is the Cleaner Neighbourhood Act being implemented? Noise nuisance from building work Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Is there anything that can be done about noise nuisance? Calne Avenue needs street cleaning Civic pride - front gardens Pavements in Chorlton Avenue broken by lorries for extensions etc No signs/sleeping policeman (speed bump) in roads leading to Caterham School. Weeds on all roads/pavements not being sprayed Property being used to run a car and building business. Cracked paving stones and pot holes, neglected roads Trees overhanging from private front gardens and brambles Drug dealing and stolen cars are left on Purley and Dacre avenues (side roads of Berkley Avenue) Unassigned Ward Issues Proposed Solutions Commercial vehicles (Tow trucks, cherry pickers) Permits based on size, tonnage, length parked overnight in residential streets Overgrown hedges onto pavements, prevents walking Minicabs parked in street at night idling, causing air pollution and noise pollution (talking and radio) Dr Bike type stalls in other places than Free cycle repair around borough to encourage people to use bikes Parking on the pavement makes it unsafe for less confident residents

West Wards Churchfields Issues in Churchfields Proposed Solutions Through traffic on the Church End triangle Enforcement cameras at certain points Bridge Issues in Bridge Proposed Solutions Rubbish and waste near Orchid Estate - foxes Get rid of the bisn in these areas. They are getting ingot the bins outside Broadmead Rd and not needed and will discourage extra litter Fyfield Rd as well as St Anthony's Ave and or collect them more frequently and Broadmead Rd encourage more recycling Pavements on Fyfield Rd are in a bad state Fly-tipping on Spring Gardens, including cars Give residents litter pickers throwing rubbish out of windows Overgrown weeds on pavements Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Monkhams Issues in Monkhams Proposed Solutions Lack of school places in Monkhams primary schools Out of hours noise nuisance has stopped CCTV in obscured places and some do not work Where does Ringo money go? Green garden waste not being collected Advertise these forums in libraries and noticeboards Parking by fire station by commuters, which is Issue permits and put up signs, get traffic spreading further wardens patrolling the area Parents parking cars to drop off children Provide incentives for parents to walk their children to school Broadway is filthy Get more staff to clean the Broadway Drunkenness and drug taking Issue PSPO as soon as possible Monkhams is the 'cash cow' of the borough but we do not see any benefits Fly-tipping Put up more CCTV Issues in South Woodford Proposed Solutions Underpass at George Lane is dirty and filthy deep cleaning of underpass Lack of enforcement officers Untidy front gardens Support those not able to clean their front gardens Wanstead Village Issues in Wanstead Village Proposed Solutions Last environmental strategy was 10 years go Update the plan Noticeboards plexi-glass is badly damaged Drug dealing near recreation ground Lack of street cleaning on residential roads (said to be caused by staff sickness) Aircraft noise in Wanstead Comms to ensure that residents know about the construction at City Airport

Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Annex B South Wards Valentines What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? More trees and hedges Need to talk to parents (don't just focus on Keep the green belt schools) Less movement/transportation of waste Teachers driving Green waste, composting Planning applications - show planting and Need to review school allocation policy? maintenance of trees Parents drive if kids are at different schools Road/highways approach - we have input in Better public transport - lobbying TfL/buses means to slow down traffic and now want to Lobby Corp of London as they own green land prevent idling Need to reduce congestion alongside Work with surrounding boroughs - A13 bridge introducing ULEZ/ANPR Are we just moving pollution away from schools Cameras monitoring air quality to main road? Loxford What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Stop cyclists riding on pavement Encourage people with trees in their gardens to Better school bus provision (dedicated) so keep them, not cut them down parents feel safe to let their kids use them Where trees are lost at the road edge they must Loxford Lane narrow road, parking causes be replaced, not just tarmacked over accidents Add solar panels to the flat rooves at New trees should not affect houses parking and Nightingale, Loxford and Woodlands schools done in a way that does not need expensive Need to make recycling waste easier - boxes maintenance that are provided are not convenient - need to Ask local residents to work together to look provide confidence that recycling is being after the flower beds recycled and not going into general waste Cranbrook What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? Change my car (diesel is bad) Use green forms of transport - low emission Walking bus on school routes vehicle Improve my front garden Give up car if good scrappage scheme Work with mosque Belgrave Road to discourage Water new trees that have been planted driving to the mosque What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? More green spaces, more trees Encourage car sharing Secure parking for cyclists CCTV near schools Introduce pedestrian only days Solar panels in schools and Prolong ban on cars near Restrict vehicles at schools council buildings school Take ULEZ further Stop people parking and Stop front gardens being Prescribe hours for not using blocking roads at peak times completely paved over certain cars Improve public transport Restrict number of cars per Slower speed limits 20mph Clearly mark the zones around household (using parking Speed humps to slow people schools so people don't get zones?) down (The Drive and caught out What happened to the trees Cranbrook Road) Safe and More cycle lanes that were to be planted in More EV infrastructure - and Please don't restrict cars only Cowley Road years ago? publicise them better to main roads More trees around Ilford More electric bikes Replace trees that die Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

East Wards Chadwell What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? Make better use of the public transport system What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Families need to be encouraged to walk to school - schools should show leadership Increase parking charges for diesel cars Walking trains/cycling trains for school runs Pedestrianise (strategically) certain highstreets Make recycling mandatory Grow trees in back gardens. Not front gardens - destroying parking Stop schools competing with each other for pupils - children need to go to most local school Plant more trees/replenish/replace trees Improve public transport links What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? Stop driving children to school What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Encourage children from a young age to walk and cycle. Introduce child friendly cycling routes More cycle lanes for children to be safer cycling Reduce the number of cars on the road Address dangerous junctions to encourage cycling Barley Lane/Goodmayes Road/High Road junction and area around Seven Kings station at rush hour can be very congested Copenhagen crossings outside train stations and Goodmayes Primary School to make it easier to walk to them Mayfield What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Lobby TfL not to move older buses etc into Redbridge Efficient boilers 20mph speed limits around Borough - check impact against evidence Make roads safer for cyclists Cycle rack at Seven Kings Station Idling of cars and trucks More trees - including in back gardens of private homes (LBR pay for them?) Planning regulations to require -solar panels -green roofs -living walls

Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

North Wards Barkingside What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? Composting at home More planting trees in garden Less garden fires Parking signage on post at corner of Highwood BBQ's (use gas cylinders instead of coal) Gardens and Woodford Avenue not replaced Switching from air plus scents to natural after accident that knocked it out essential oils in the house (reduces Biodiversity in gardens (bees, butterflies etc) formaldehyde) More walking rather than driving What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Improved public transport - needs to be a Wildflower meadows along the side of dual convenient alternative to transport carriageways Needs to keep some car parking spaces in town Wind turbines in gardens centres for people who have to drive Green redeem (Thames Water) - you can collect More trees (public donations) raise funding, points look at faith forum Start growing your own food in garden than Learn ways to live sustainably at home and at going to supermarket work. Educating the public, free sessions Solar panels schemes

Clayhall What changes are you willing to make over the next 2-3 years to improve our air quality? Use car less Councillors can have conversations with residents, but need materials to base conversations on. Plant another tree in the backyard What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? More air quality monitoring, get businesses and schools to monitor them Encourage growth of tress on private land Enforce against removal of live trees, if removed for extension, then must be replaced Separate cycle lanes to make it safer Cycle day - invite London Cycling campaign Community gardens/ floral e.g. Wanstead, link to school pupils and students Councillors leading tree planting days Provide information on how to improve local air quality Fullwell What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Letter to all parents to encourage them to stop driving their children to school. List alternatives - walk, bicycle, busses etc Patrol more on Fulwell avenue to enforce double yellow lines, also stop parking on pavement Encourage public transport, e.g. emphasis how good it is. Information sheets for residents to explain what is recyclable and what isn’t Incentivise residents to install solar panels There needs to be a standard recycling policy The Council needs to accept and define more types of recyclable waste No car zones around schools Promote walking to schools, issues around good/outstanding schools Planting fruit trees across the borough (smaller trees) Powered solar lights on roads Policy around rewarding residents for recycling - deposit scheme. More recyclable points/bins around the borough for residents Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Positive comment: We have brilliant green spaces in Redbridge, we are very lucky! Unassigned Ward What other ways can we improve the air quality in Redbridge? Explore possibility of car club schemes and greater promotion of cycling schemes Encourage involvement of children, young people and youth council in developing and implementing projects that help change behaviours and attitudes Work with TfL to promote better public transport and access for people with disabilities and buggies Ensuring built environment / public realm easy for people to navigate particularly elderly and others with mobility issues

West Wards Bridge What changes are you willing to make over the next few years? Walk more Cycle more IF the infrastructure was in place What other ways can we improve air quality? More trees on streets where there is space Expedite the introduction of electric busses Incentivise parents not to do school drop-offs

Churchfields What other ways can we improve air quality? More electric charging points More trees near polluted roads and junctions Introduce a local low emission zone Lobby TFL to extend travel zones

Monkhams What changes are you willing to make over the next few years? Flat packing cardboard What other ways can we improve air quality? Regular green collection waste Include cardboard within recycling eligibility Replace trees that have died Amend TPO regulations to allow for overall reduction of size Cut trees causing problems down Introduce water features Clarify which plastics can be recycled

South Woodford What other ways can we improve air quality? More charging points for electric cars Question bus companies about their renewable strategies and how they will reduce pollution from their fleet Introduce trams Improve cycle lanes Bike hangers Local Forum Report – June to August 2019

Wanstead Park What other ways can we improve air quality? Solar panels on fields Encourage cycling and walking District heating systems More busses to reduce car use Reduce out of borough commuting Wanstead Village What changes are you willing to make over the next few years? Walk more Plant more trees (as individuals) Fly less What other ways can we improve air quality? Ensure ULEZ doesn’t displace activity to elsewhere Ensure public transport compliments these plans Need cross party support as good air quality will take time to achieve Electric ice cream vans Narrower roads More one-way roads Greater greening of roadside Barcelona model - make small public realm areas greener