London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Coordinates: 51°33′N 0°07′E / 51.550°N 0.117°E / 51.550; 0.117
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Template:Infobox London Borough The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (pronunciationⓘ) is a London borough in East London, England [1] situated 9 miles east of Charing Cross. The borough forms part of Outer London while the south of the borough lies 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. Barking and Dagenham was one of the six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

History

The borough was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 as the London Borough of Barking. The constituent parts were almost all of the Municipal Borough of Barking and the greater part of the 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,[2] 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.[3]

Boundaries

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 Royal 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.

Settlement

The borough consists of and includes the following areas:

Much of the housing of the borough was constructed by the London County Council during the interwar period of 1921-1939.[2] 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.[2] 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.[4]

Demographics

Population
YearPop.±%
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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

Governance

Main article: Politics of Barking and Dagenham
The former town hall of the Municipal Borough of Barking

The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Barking; and Dagenham and Rainham, first contested in 2010. 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.[9]

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 in a by-election), the Conservative Party had two (later reduced to one in a by-election), and an independent was elected.

The Barking and Dagenham Council election on 6 May 2010; all 51 councillors elected were from the Labour Party.

Twinning

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is twinned with:

Education

Further information: List of schools in Barking and Dagenham

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.

Transport

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is served by the Hammersmith & City line, the District Line, c2c and London Overground. The following railway stations are in the borough: Barking, Becontree, Dagenham Dock, Dagenham East, Dagenham Heathway, Upney. Chadwell Heath station is in LB Redbridge, but right on the border with Barking and Dagenham.

London Buses: routes 5, 62, 66, 86, 103, 128, 145, 150, 169, 173, 174, 175, 238, 247, 287, 296, 325, 362, 364, 366, 368, 387, 499, EL1, EL2, 687, 673 (school buses) and N15 and N86 (night buses). There are 3 main routes 5, 86 and 238 which provide links further east towards Stratford and Canning Town and route 62 provides a link from the south the the north of the borough. Barking Station is one of the biggest train stations in East London providing links into London, Gospel oak and Shoeburyness.

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 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.[11]

London Fire Brigade - Barking and Dagenham Profile

See also

References

  1. ^ Map 5A.1 - London's sub-regions The London Plan (Greater London Authority, 2008_ accessed 13 November 2009
  2. ^ a b c Metropolitan Essex since 1919: Suburban growth, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 (1966), pp. 63-74 accessed: October 16, 2007
  3. ^ Past Mayors.
  4. ^ Project UK-Barking: urban development (Operis) accessed 16 October 2007
  5. ^ "The borough of Barking". British History Online. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
  6. ^ The Becontree Housing Estate (LB Barking & Dagenham) accessed 25 February 2009
  7. ^ "Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group (Percentages) - Area: Barking and Dagenham (Local Authority)". Neighbourhood Statistics. June 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  8. ^ "Country of Birth — Area: Barking and Dagenham (Local Authority)". Neighbourhood Statistics. June 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  9. ^ The Mayor (LB Barking and Dagenham) accessed 6 April 2010
  10. ^ Town Twinning. Barking and Dagenham
  11. ^ London Fire Brigade - Barking and Dagenham Profile

External links

51°33′N 0°07′E / 51.550°N 0.117°E / 51.550; 0.117

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