The council still has £19m more worth of savings to make Redbridge councillors from both parties are asking the cabinet to reconsider plans to cut £40,000 worth of support for the voluntary sector out of next year’s budget. The council predicts a £83 million budget gap by 2025 and needs to make more than £25 million in savings in next year’s budget alone. At a cabinet meeting held on December 15, deputy leader Cllr Kam Rai said the council has identified some possible savings, which it will now consult on, but has “£19 million more to find”. Councillors from both parties objected to plans to get rid of the Social Action Fund, a grant scheme set up this year to support groups helping those affected by the pandemic.
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The program, which started in 2019, supports families with a free renovation that improves the suitability of the home for a challenged family member. The Algar girls, Keira and Amelia, have Rett Syndrome, and are both non-mobile, requiring assistance with day-to-day activities, including eating and bathing. It had been getting more difficult and dangerous for their parents to lift them in and out of the bathtub and carry them up and down stairs, as they weigh nearly 40 pounds. The bathroom renovation will improve safety and functionality and allow the family to remain in their current home. Amanda Algar, the twins’ mother, says the renovation has made a huge difference.