The Redbridge Clean and Green Committee has outlined its priorities for the upcoming year, with a strong emphasis on improving street cleanliness and enhancing the borough's green spaces. The committee met on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to finalise its work plan, which will focus on two key areas: Street Cleanliness and Green Spaces.
The Street Cleanliness agenda will tackle issues such as fly-tipping, local environmental quality, community engagement, technology adoption, and enforcement. The Green Spaces priority will encompass the development of parks, promotion of biodiversity, improvement of green infrastructure, community participation, creation of pocket parks, and tree planting initiatives.
Pam Roe-Jones, Interim Director for Neighbourhoods and Environment, presented an overview of the council's street cleansing services. She detailed the operational structure, which includes area supervisors, dedicated graffiti and jet wash teams, and litter picking and sweeping crews. The committee heard how technology plays a crucial role, with the Whitespace system being used to record completed jobs, audit work, and identify fly-tipping hotspots. Beyond Whitespace, the 'Love Clean Streets' app serves as the primary interface for residents to report issues, feeding directly to officers who then allocate jobs to operatives. This approach aims for quick resolution for residents and councillors. Furthermore, teams are utilising WhatsApp to share photos of cleared areas, indicating a multi-faceted technological approach to street cleansing.
Councillor Joe Blackman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods, highlighted that significant investment in street cleansing has already led to improvements in responsiveness and overall cleanliness. He acknowledged that while the service is not yet perfect, it remains a key priority for the council.
During the meeting, councillors raised several pertinent questions regarding service frequencies, resource allocation for jet washing, and the procedures for graffiti removal. Specifically, concerns were voiced about the integration of the 'Love Clean Streets' app with the Whitespace system and the accessibility of cleaning schedules for councillors. While the app is expected to feed into Whitespace, the exact integration process and timeline are still under development. The anticipated benefits include a streamlined reporting system leading to quicker job allocation and resolution for residents and councillors.
Jet washing services are primarily concentrated on town centres and high streets, with specific schedules and areas covered outlined in the meeting documents. However, detailed resource allocations and prioritization criteria beyond this general focus were not elaborated upon. In response to councillors' concerns about certain areas being omitted from schedules, officers committed to investigating these specific queries regarding jet washing schedules and the prioritization of needs.
It was confirmed that offensive graffiti is prioritised for removal within 24 hours, while a different, unspecified deadline applies to non-offensive graffiti. The committee also approved the minutes from their previous meeting on July 8, 2026, and set their next meeting for November 4, 2026.
The committee's work plan for 2026-27 will build upon the foundations laid in the previous year, which included priorities such as street cleaning, waste reduction, sustainable transport, green spaces, and combating fly-tipping. Further details of the committee's discussions and plans can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.