The new Leader of Havering Council has spoken out after Havering Adults’ Services received a ‘requires improvement’ rating following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In a statement, Councillor Keith Prince AM said the new administration was “deeply disappointed” with the outcome and that previous administrations had “bottled it” when it came to making difficult decisions, leaving his administration to “pick up the pieces”.
Councillor Keith Prince AM, said:
“We are deeply disappointed to learn of the ‘requires improvement’ outcome for adult social care in the recently published CQC report.
"The site inspection took place in August 2025, before this administration took control of the Council in May 2026.
“It is true that the Council faces a significant financial challenge, together with ballooning demand for social care and a continuous lack of government funding.
"But it is also clear from this outcome that the previous HRA administration, along with other administrations before that, bottled it when it came to making difficult decisions.
"This means that investment in adult social care has been woefully inadequate, leaving the service creaking and vulnerable residents with a below-par experience.
"Let me reassure those residents: this changes, right now. Reform will review this, and the Council acknowledges the outcome.
"In fact, the hard work has already started, with an improvement plan to address the areas of weakness identified by CQC, which will go before Cabinet as quickly as possible.
“My new Reform administration is determined to improve services in Havering and will work tirelessly with officers over the coming months to improve the experiences of Havering residents who need adult social care.
“This includes improving the experience of informal carers and our support for young adults moving from children’s social care into adulthood.
“While the overall outcome is not up to scratch, I am pleased to say that some areas of good practice were identified.
"We are determined to build on these and make them even better as the service goes through its wider improvement journey.”