The London Borough of Barking was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covered almost all the area of the Municipal Borough of Barking and the greater part of the area of the Municipal Borough of Dagenham, both of which were abolished by the same act. At the time of its creation 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] In 1994, the borough was expanded to cover the part of the Becontree estate that until then had been within the Borough of Redbridge. The area covered by Mayesbrook Park in the Borough was once part of the historic Manor of Jenkins, seat of the Fanshawe family.
Historic records of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and predecessor bodies the Borough of Barking and the Borough of Dagenham are held at the Barking and Dagenham Archive Service, Valence House Museum.
The borough's major districts include Barking, Becontree and Dagenham. It borders five other London boroughs: Newham, Redbridge, Havering, and Greenwich and Bexley to the south of the Thames.
Much of the housing of the borough was constructed by the London County Council during the interwar period of 1921–1939.[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. There are large areas of logistics and warehouse development around the A13 road. 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, such as Beam Park. A £500 million budget has been earmarked for redevelopment of the borough's principal district of Barking.[6]
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.[8] The population rose slowly through the 19th century, as the district became built up; and new industries developed around Barking.
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. In 2013 Barking and Dagenham has England's highest fertility rate: 2.58.[10]
At the time of the 2011 census, 49.5% of the borough's community identified themselves as white British. Barking and Dagenham has been strongly influenced by immigration, with the white British population having dropped 30.6% from 2001 to 2011 - the second largest decrease in the country, behind neighbouring Newham. The population of non-UK born residents increasing by 205%.[11] The largest decrease of White British occurred in the Longbridge ward (79.8% in 2001 to 35% in 2011), and the Abbey ward, which contains the main Barking area (from 46.2% to 15.8%). The smallest decrease was in the Eastbrook ward. The largest minority communities were of Black and Asian heritage.
Barking and Dagenham had by far the largest decrease of the 65+ population, having dropped almost 20% between 2001 and 2011. There were 69,700 households in the borough in 2011, up 3.6% from 2001. The borough also had the largest proportion of school-age (5-19) population of all the local authorities in England and Wales, 21.4%, at the 2011 census. The borough's pre-school (0-4) population rose by 49.1% from 2001 to 2011, by far the largest increase in London.[12]
The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Barking and Dagenham.
Ethnicity
Ethnic makeup of Barking and Dagenham by single year ages in 2021Ethnic demography of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham over time
Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council has a mayor, who is elected at the council annual general meeting by councillors. The officeholder 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.[18]
The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Barking and Dagenham and Rainham. The latter was first contested in 2010.
Greater London representation
For elections to the Greater London Council, the borough formed the Barking electoral division, electing two members. In 1973 it was divided into the single-member Barking and Dagenham electoral divisions.[19] The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986.
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. A study in 2017 found that nearly half of Barking & Dagenham's 19 year olds lack Level 3 qualifications (A Level equivalent) which was the highest figure in London.[21]
CU London, a Higher Education institute owned and governed by Coventry University, started offering courses to students in September 2017.[22] Situated in the former Dagenham Civic Centre, they offer a range of subjects across Foundation, HNC, HND and degree level.[23]
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.
Transport
In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 22.5% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 7.5%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.5%; train, 7.3%; on foot, 3.7%; passenger in a car or van, 1.7%; work mainly at or from home, 1.3%.[24]
Hammersmith & City Line services terminate at Barking. Some District Line services terminate at Barking, but many also call at Upney, Becontree, Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham East in the Borough. Some services terminate at Dagenham East.
The A13 is named Alfred's Way as it enters the Borough to the west. Crossing Barking and Dagenham, the dual carriageway can be accessed via several grade-separated junctions. Leaving the Borough to the west via the A13 will lead to the Docklands and the City of London. To the east, the A13 passes Rainham and the M25 before traffic heads into south Essex.
Other A-roads cross the Borough, including the A118, A123, A124, A1083, A1112, and A1306, although these roads are smaller and generally carry less traffic.
Local media
Time 107.5 FM broadcasts local news from nearby Romford.
Barking & Dagenham News, a hyperlocal news service distributes news, weather, travel, sport and entertainment updates on Facebook Watch.
London Fire Brigade
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has two fire stations within its boundary: Barking and Dagenham.[30] 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 64M turn table Ladder. The Turntable ladder is one of 3 that are in use in london and are the tallest ladders in use in the uk fire and rescue service.[citation needed]
Of the two stations; Dagenham is the busier, attending over 2,000 incidents in 2006/2007.[31]
^London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. "Chapter 2: Local Transport Context"(PDF). London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
