| London Borough of Barking and Dagenham |
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| — London borough — | |||
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| Barking and Dagenham shown within Greater London | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | London | ||
| Ceremonial county | Greater London | ||
| Status | London borough | ||
| Admin HQ | 1 Town Square, Barking | ||
| Incorporated | 1 April 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | London borough council | ||
| • Body | Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council | ||
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Labour) | ||
| • Mayor | Cllr N S Gill | ||
| • MPs | Jon Cruddas (Labour) Margaret Hodge (Labour) |
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| • London Assembly | John Biggs (Labour) AM for City and East | ||
| • EU Parliament | London | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 13.9 sq mi (36.09 km2) | ||
| Area rank | 299th (of 326) | ||
| Population (2010 est.) | |||
| • Total | 179,700 | ||
| • Rank | 93rd (of 326) | ||
| • Density | 12,896.1/sq mi (4,979.2/km2) | ||
| • Ethnicity[1] | 72.8% White British 1.5% White Irish 3.9% Other White 1.0% White & Black Caribbean 0.5% White & Black African 0.4% White & Asian 0.5% Other Mixed 2.8% Indian 2.2% Pakistani 1.1% Bangladeshi 1.0% Other Asian 2.4% Black Caribbean 7.6% Black African 0.5% Other Black 0.9% Chinese 1.3% Other |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postcodes | IG , RM | ||
| Area code(s) | 020 | ||
| Police force | Metropolitan Police | ||
| Website | www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk | ||
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in North East London[2] and forms part of Outer London. The south of the borough is within the London Riverside development area of the Thames Gateway; an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council.
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The borough was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 as the London Borough of Barking. The constituent parts were the greater part of the Municipal Borough of Barking and the entire Municipal Borough of Dagenham, the former area of which was transferred to Greater London from Essex. At the time of the amalgamation the combined population of Barking and Dagenham was around 180,000,[3] the northern tip of Dagenham having been incorporated into Redbridge and a small area of Barking in Newham. The borough was renamed Barking and Dagenham in 1980.[4]
The borough borders the London Borough of Havering to the east with the River Rom forming part of the boundary. It borders the London Borough of Newham to the west with the River Roding forming much of the border. To the south is the River Thames which forms the borough's boundary with the London Borough of Bexley and the London Borough of Greenwich. To the north the borough forms a thin protrusion between Havering and the London Borough of Redbridge in order to encompass Chadwell Heath. 530 hectares within the borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.
The borough consists of and includes the following areas:
Most of the housing in the borough was constructed by the London County Council during the interwar period of 1918-1939.[3] Major settlement of the area, mostly escaping slum conditions in the East End of London, occurred during this period when the new motor and chemical industries such as the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were set up.[3] Since the decline of these industries in the 1980s, employment has shifted towards service sector jobs. Much of the borough is within the London Riverside area of the Thames Gateway zone and is the site of considerable house building and other development. A £500 million budget has been earmarked for redevelopment of the borough's principal district of Barking.[5]
| Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1801 | 1,937 | — |
| 1811 | 2,647 | +36.7% |
| 1821 | 3,110 | +17.5% |
| 1831 | 3,746 | +20.5% |
| 1841 | 4,151 | +10.8% |
| 1851 | 4,804 | +15.7% |
| 1861 | 5,983 | +24.5% |
| 1871 | 7,162 | +19.7% |
| 1881 | 8,341 | +16.5% |
| 1891 | 16,658 | +99.7% |
| 1901 | 25,080 | +50.6% |
| 1911 | 37,759 | +50.6% |
| 1921 | 67,708 | +79.3% |
| 1931 | 121,410 | +79.3% |
| 1941 | 143,122 | +17.9% |
| 1951 | 168,724 | +17.9% |
| 1961 | 164,639 | −2.4% |
| 1971 | 160,656 | −2.4% |
| 1981 | 148,973 | −7.3% |
| 1991 | 146,154 | −1.9% |
| 2001 | 163,944 | +12.2% |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through time | ||
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by train deliveries of fresh fish from the East Coast ports.[6] The population rose slowly through the 19th century, as the district became built up; and new industries developed around Barking.
The population rose dramatically between 1921 and 1931, when the London County Council developed the Becontree Estate. This public housing development of 27,000 homes housed over 100,000 people, split between the then urban district councils of Ilford, Dagenham and Barking. People were rehoused from the slums of the East End.[7] In 1931, the Ford Motor Company relocated to a 500 acres (2.0 km2) site at Dagenham, and in 1932 the District Line was extended to Upminster; bringing further development to the area.
After World War II, further public housing projects were built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz. As industry declined during the 1960s, the population entered a long decline, but has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites.
According to the Census of 2001 Barking and Dagenham had a population of 165,500, 48.2% of which were male, and 51.8% female. Of these, 85.4% described themselves as white; 10.5% black; 7.2% Asian; 2.4% of mixed race and 1.7% Chinese.[8]
88.98% of these were born in England, 1.53% elsewhere in the UK, 1.35% in the Republic of Ireland, 0.83% in the EU, and 9.31% elsewhere.[9]
The borough consists of two parliamentary constituencies: Barking; and the new constituency of Dagenham and Rainham. The borough is within the City and East London Assembly constituency, returning John Biggs AM, as the directly elected Assembly Member. Barkling and Dagenham is part of the London constituency in the European Parliament.
The council has a Mayor, who is elected at the council annual general meeting by councillors. The Mayor must be a serving councillor, although the role of Mayor is non-political. The Mayor chairs council meetings; and performs ceremonial duties in the Borough.[10]
There are 17 wards in the Borough, each returning 3 councillors, making 51 in total. At the Barking and Dagenham Council election on 4 May 2006 the Labour Party were returned with 36 councillors. From 2006-2010 the British National Party formed the largest opposition party on the council with 12 councillors (later reduced to 11 by-elections), the Conservative Party had two (later reduced to one by-elections), and an independent was elected.
The Barking and Dagenham Council election on 6 May 2010; all 51 councillors elected were from the Labour Party.
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is twinned with:
There are many schools and further education facilities in the borough. Situated near the Town Hall, the Barking Learning Centre is a learning facility providing a range of courses leading to recognised qualifications. It also includes a library with free public internet access, the Council's first One Stop Shop, conference and meeting space, a gallery and a café.
The University of East London formerly had a campus in the borough, however this has now closed with all campuses now being located in the neighbouring borough of Newham.
The London Borough of Barking And Dagenham is served by the Hammersmith & City line, the District Line and London Overground. London Buses routes 5, 62, 66, 86, 103, 128, 145, 150, 169, 173, 174, 175, 238, 247, 287, 296, 362, 364, 366, 368, 387, 499, EL1, EL2, School buses route 687 and Nightbus route N15.
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has two fire stations within its boundary; Barking and Dagenham. Barking fire station operates two pumping appliances, a bulk foam unit and a command unit. The support units that are operated here will cover a large selection of station grounds and areas. Dagenham fire station operates two pumping appliances and a hydraulic platform.
Of the two stations; Dagenham is the busier, attending over 2,000 incidents in 2006/2007.[12]
London Fire Brigade - Barking and Dagenham Profile
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