Barking and Dagenham Council has officially adopted its A Better B&D
transformation plan, a comprehensive strategy designed to reshape council services and improve resident outcomes.
The plan, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, outlines a clear, whole-council approach to address rising demand, financial pressures, and increasing complexity. The council is facing significant financial pressures, including rising demand, constrained resources, increasing complexity, and a long-term financial pressure that requires the delivery of £43.8m of savings by 2029/30. This cumulative budget gap was identified in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).
It is guided by three core shifts: moving from reaction to prevention, from complexity to simplicity, and from surviving to thriving. The shift from 'reaction to prevention' will be implemented by providing clear, consistent information and advice early so residents can act before issues escalate, using data and insight to identify emerging risks, designing pathways that reduce repeat contact, and working across services and with partners to strengthen local and community resilience. Success will be measured through improved outcomes and reduced avoidable demand, rather than just the volume of activity. This approach is integrated into various programs, including the Customer Experience Programme, which aims to reduce avoidable contact and free up staff time for more complex and preventative work, and the Families First Programme, which strengthens early help and edge-of-care services to prevent children entering the care system.
Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of the Council, stated that the strategy moves beyond simply responding to pressure to actively shaping the future of the council, ensuring it is more focused, confident, and capable. He added, This strategy is about more than responding to pressure. It is about shaping the kind of council we need to become.
The A Better B&D
plan will support the development and delivery of a Change Portfolio aligned with the Medium Term Financial Strategy. Funding decisions will be delegated to the Strategic Director of Resources, with support from the Change Board. The 'Change Board' oversees the operational delivery of the 'A Better B&D' Change Plan. It is jointly chaired by the Section 151 Officer and the Director of Strategy, Change and IT. Its role includes overseeing delivery, risk, dependencies, and benefits; ensuring alignment to the three shifts and design principles; and supporting deliberate decisions to start, stop, pause, or accelerate activity.
The 'A Better B&D' transformation plan aims for a whole-council approach, impacting all areas. The plan supports the development and delivery of the Change Portfolio, which includes various programmes such as Customer Experience, Procurement, Digital, Data and Technology, Commercial Assets, Process Improvement, and 'Fit for the Future' initiatives focused on independent, secure, and sustainable futures. Additionally, it aims to support families with complex needs through multi-disciplinary neighbourhood approaches.
The success of the 'A Better B&D' plan will be measured through a combination of financial benefits delivered, reduced avoidable activity and repeat demand, improved employee and resident experience, and clear alignment between change activity and borough outcomes. These measures will be supported by consistent benefits tracking, performance reporting, and delivery confidence assessments at the portfolio level. A portfolio spanning benefits register will monitor agreed benefits and link directly to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).
The 'A Better B&D' plan is projected to be delivered through a rolling, portfolio-based roadmap, focusing on stabilizing and prioritizing current activity, delivering measurable improvements through priority programs, and building a pipeline of opportunities to meet financial and outcome ambitions. The first phase of programs has commenced, with benefits expected over their lifecycle. Other programs are in the design phase. The roadmap sets the direction of travel rather than fixing all activity in advance, with delivery expected to evolve over time. The strategy itself is intended to guide change until 2030.
The anticipated challenges and potential risks associated with implementing the 'A Better B&D' plan include: insufficient organizational capacity to deliver change alongside business as usual, conflicting priorities diluting the focus of the Change Portfolio, the inability to deliver sufficient savings to meet MTFS requirements, the risk of double-counting savings, budget constraints and lack of confirmed funding routes limiting progress, a change resource model that may not be fit for purpose, conflicts or trade-offs between primary objectives (savings vs. compliance vs. outcomes improvement), a lack of transformation skills, scope creep reducing the effectiveness of the Change Portfolio, and variable change readiness and cultural resistance slowing adoption. The risk assessment document highlights 'Insufficient organisational capacity to deliver change alongside business as usual' as the highest risk score.
Public reports pack Tuesday 14-Jul-2026 19.00 Cabinet
Decisions Tuesday 14-Jul-2026 19.00 Cabinet
