London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

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. [ [http://www.operis.com/ojec050714/050714m.htm "Project UK-Barking: urban development" (Operis)] accessed 16 Oct 2007 ]

Culture

Demographics

According to the Census of 2001 (although these figures are now somewhat old) Barking and Dagenham had a population of 165,500, 48.2% of which were male, and 51.8% female. The racial distribution of the borough are as follows: [cite web | title=Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group (Percentages) - Area: Barking and Dagenham (Local Authority) | publisher=Neighbourhood Statistics | url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276744&c=Barking+and+Dagenham&d=13&e=13&g=325594&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1211288921029&enc=1&dsFamilyId=18122 | date=June 2005 | accessdate=2008-05-20]
*78.2% White
*10.5% Black
*7.2% Asian
*2.4% Mixed
*1.7% Chinese

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. [cite web | title=Country of Birth - Area: Barking and Dagenham (Local Authority) | publisher=Neighbourhood Statistics | url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276744&c=Barking+and+Dagenham&d=13&e=13&g=325594&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1211288920998&enc=1&dsFamilyId=11 | date=June 2005 | accessdate=2008-05-20]

These figures are thought to have substantially changed in the last 4-5 years. Large immigration from Africa has substantially increased the Black demographic of the borough.

Borough Council

The composition of the council at each election was:

51 councillors form Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. They are elected from the 17 wards which make up the borough. The wards are:

In the 2006 local elections, the British National Party gained 12 councillors in the borough and now form the second largest party represented on the council, after Labour (who have 38 councillors). There are more BNP councillors in Barking and Dagenham than there are in any other borough in the UK. =Twinning=

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is twinned with:

*flagicon|Germany Witten, Germany
*flagicon|Poland Tczew, Poland [ [http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/9-democracy/town-twin/town-twin-main.html Town Twinning. Barking and Dagenham ] ]

Education

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.

London Fire Brigade

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, a breathing apparatus support unit, a damage control unit and a hazardous materials support 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 two thousand incidents in 2006/2007 [http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/about_us/media/Barking_and_Dagenham.pdf/ London Fire Brigade - Barking and Dagenham Profile] .

[http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/about_us/media/Barking_and_Dagenham.pdf London Fire Brigade - Barking and Dagenham Profile]

References

External links

* [http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk Barking and Dagenham Council]
* [http://www.bdpct.nhs.uk NHS Barking and Dagenham]