Havering Consultations

During February 2026, we carried out a 4 week consultation to ask those who work directly with children and families - schools, early years providers, health professionals, community organisations, and other education partners about their views on our draft Best Start in Life (BSiL) Plan 2026–29, a borough-wide strategy that sets out our collective ambition to ensure every child has the strongest possible foundations from birth through Reception.

This three‑year action plan outlines how Havering will deliver the Department for Education’s (DfE) Best Start in Life strategy locally. It draws on national policy, local priorities, and - most importantly - the lived experiences of Havering’s children and families.

Underpinned by a robust understanding of local need, including insights from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), the plan aligns with the borough’s commitment to reducing inequalities, raising aspirations, and enabling every child - regardless of background - to flourish.

The BSiL strategy also aligns with wider national priorities, including the Healthy Child Programme, SEND reforms, early language development, school readiness, and the national drive to narrow the attainment gap.

We received 8 responses to our on-line consultation.

To deliver this vision, Havering’s BSiL plan focuses on three strategic priorities shaped by engagement with partners and informed by local data; our stakeholders told us:

Priority 1 - Better Support for Families – Strengthening early help, parent engagement, and family wellbeing.

• 63% agreed that the actions under Priority 1 will reduce inequalities in early childhood, whereas 37% did not.

Priority 2 - More Accessible Early Education & Childcare – Addressing sufficiency, affordability, and inclusivity to increase take‑up.

• 75% agreed that this priority and the specific actions reflected their experience of local needs and delivery realities, whereas 25% did not.
• 63% felt that the plan would increase uptake of entitlements among disadvantaged families, whereas 37% did not.

Priority 3 - Improving Quality in Early Years, Including Reception – Enhancing workforce development, promoting high‑quality practice, and improving transitions into school.

• 88% agreed that this priority and the specific actions reflected their experience of local needs and delivery realities, whereas 12% did not.
• Confidence that the Priority 3 actions will contribute to reaching the DfE Good Level of Development (GLD) target (75.8% by 2028), was evenly split, with 50% of respondents agreeing and 50% not agreeing.

Overall, most respondents felt the Best Start in Life (BSiL) Plan provides a clear and well-structured framework, with priorities, roles and actions that are realistic and achievable. There was strong confidence that the plan will be effectively delivered within existing capacity and will lead to improved outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children.  However, some respondents raised concerns about whether there are sufficient resources and funding available to fully deliver the plan’s ambitions.

Our Best Start in Life action plan is now finalised, and you can find it HERE.

During March 2026, we asked Havering residents for their support to help us bid for external funding for these play areas in our parks:

• Bosworth Field (Myrtle Road) Playsite 
• Forest Row Playsite
• Oldchurch Playsite
• North Hill Recreation Ground (Rocket Park)
• Keats Avenue Playsite
• Collier Row Recreation Ground
• Chelmsford Avenue Playsite

Funding providers want to see how much local communities value their play spaces, so we asked you to tell us why the play area in your local park matters; why it needs improving and how a refurbishment would benefit children and families in your community.

We received 24 online responses to our survey.

• Residents value having a playground within walking distance, particularly families living in flats without gardens. Even where equipment is poor, people express gratitude that a play space exists locally and recognise its importance for everyday use.

• Many comments highlight how vital playgrounds are for children’s physical activity, social interaction, mental wellbeing and family life. Residents clearly care about these spaces and see them as essential community assets worth investing in.

• Although some feedback is critical, residents are very positive about what the playground could be. There is strong enthusiasm for refurbishment, new equipment and better design, with many constructive ideas offered, showing optimism and support for future improvements

The top three most common concerns raised by residents were:

1. Old, worn out and outdated equipment

Residents repeatedly described the playground equipment as very old, run down and past its usable life. Many comments refer to rust, peeling paint, equipment being “20 years old”, and features that no longer work or are no longer attractive to children.

2. Safety issues and hazards

Safety is a major concern throughout the feedback. Residents mentioned broken or unstable swings, damaged or uneven surfacing, rusty joints, broken glass, graffiti, dog mess, and other hazards. Parents expressed worry about the risk of trips, falls and serious injuries, particularly for younger children and toddlers.

3. Lack of enough engaging play for different ages

Many residents felt there is not enough equipment and that what is provided is boring or not suitable for the number of children using the space. There were frequent comments about limited choice, poor design, overcrowding, and a lack of age-appropriate play for both younger children and older children.

Your feedback will be used to support our applications for external funding for necessary refurbishments, and we will update this page with our plans if successful.

During December 2025 we ran a ‘Christmas Means Community’ campaign to bring residents together through joyful, inclusive activities that embrace diversity, boost wellbeing, and strengthen connections. 

Hosted by our Housing Engagement Team and our fantastic partners, we held events that spread festive cheer and created opportunities for everyone to get involved and feel part of something special. 

We asked you for your favourite things at Christmas, be it food, people, traditions and Christmas songs.

Many people shared their views on our social media channels, and we had 17 people respond to our online survey.   

This is the data from the online survey: 

• The most Christmas cheer came jointly from the post code areas of RM13 (Rainham, South Hornchurch, Wennington and Beam Park East) and RM14 (Upminster, Cranham, North Ockendon and Bulphan). 

• The most favourite Christmas song was jointly Driving Home for Christmas (Chris Rea) and Fairytale of New York (The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl). 

• Your most favourite festive tradition was spending time with your family, whether by having Christmas dinner together, watching a Christmas movie, shopping or baking together. 

• You shared your favourite recipes which included homemade cookies, cakes, sausage rolls, left-over turkey pie and a twist on cooking brussels sprouts for those who don’t like them! 

• Most residents said that the people or person who made Christmas special for them was their family, neighbours, front-line people working over Christmas and Santa!  

We shared your feedback on social media and in our Living in Havering e-newsletter.  You can sign up here for Havering Council news and updates.