Redbridge residents to see housing and road focus under new cabinet

Zainab Ahmed Author 2026-05-21 14:54 2 min read

Diverse group in formal wear and mayoral robes posing before a live string quartet on stage.

Contents

Full list of cabinet portfolios
Strategic goals for the borough

Redbridge Council has confirmed its new leadership team, appointing a refreshed Cabinet to oversee a four-year programme of modernisation and service improvements. The appointments, ratified during the latest Full Council meeting, establish the executive structure that will lead the borough through 2030.

Cllr Kam Rai continues as Leader of the Council, assuming direct responsibility for regeneration, growth, and property. The meeting also marked a transition in civic leadership, with Cllr Bert Jones formally sworn in as the new Mayor of Redbridge, taking over the ambassadorial role from Cllr Beverley Brewer. Cllr Syeda Choudhury has been appointed as Deputy Mayor.

Full list of cabinet portfolios

The new Cabinet includes several returning members and new appointments designed to strengthen financial resilience and neighborhood investment. Similar leadership changes in Ealing reflect a wider trend of London boroughs refreshing their executive teams to meet 2026 housing and safety targets.

Cabinet Member	Portfolio
Cllr Kam Rai	Leader; Regeneration, Growth and Property
Cllr Vanisha Bharti Solanki	Deputy Leader; Finance and Shared Prosperity
Cllr Saima Ahmed	Housing and Planning
Cllr Jo Blackman	Environment and Neighbourhoods
Cllr Sunny Brar	Enforcement, Community Safety and Cohesion
Cllr Lloyd Duddridge	Children, Young People and Education
Cllr Judith Garfield	Strategy and Modernisation
Cllr Daniel Morgan Thomas	Adult Social Care and Health
Cllr Helen Mullis	Leisure and Culture

Strategic goals for the borough

The administration has outlined an ambitious agenda centered on ten specific pledges. Key priorities include the delivery of more social housing, significant road maintenance projects, and the upgrading of local leisure facilities. Cllr Rai stated that the team is focused on ensuring every neighborhood experiences visible, positive progress.

Financial sustainability remains a core objective, with the Deputy Leader tasked with managing shared prosperity initiatives. The council has emphasized that community participation will be central to decision-making processes over the coming term. Cllr Rai noted that the programme is designed for all residents, regardless of political affiliation, with a focus on celebrating local unity and shared pride in the borough.

Work has already commenced on the initial phases of the council’s ten pledges, with further details on specific infrastructure projects expected in the coming months. “We are determined to ensure that every neighbourhood sees real, positive progress that residents can both see and experience,” said Cllr Rai.

Source: Redbridge Council