River Ward is located in the south-east corner of the borough. It borders the River Thames to the south and London Borough of Havering to the East. The major transport routes of the A13 and Main Line Railway cut the Ward in half, with the majority of Residential Housing being in the northern half of the Ward and the southern half of the Ward being mainly industrial areas, most notably Ford Motor Works and Dagenham Power Station. Dagenham Dock Railway station is located on the Border of River and Thames Ward which acts as an important access point to the industries that are located here.
River Ward has the 5th highest population in the borough at 10,383 with a projected increase of just over 2,000 by the year 2028. As of the 2001 Census the majority of the households in the ward were owned with mortgage (44.8% of the 3924 households). This is much higher than the 23% for rent from the local authority. These figures differ from many of the other wards where you find that the percentage of households who 'own with a mortgage' and 'rent from the local authority' tend to be at a very similar level.
The working age benefits claimants' data shows that the rate of 'All Benefit Claimants' is lower than the borough average. However the rate for 'Job Seekers Allowance' for the Ward is slightly higher than the borough at 4.1% and 3.9% of all working age population respectively. The current unemployment claimant rate is 5.1% which is below the borough rate of 5.6. As the graph in section 5 of the ward profile shows, the unemployment rates since February 2004 closely match the increases and decreases of the borough figures.
Health Statistics show that River Ward has the lowest average life expectancy in the borough at 74.8 years old, and also has the highest Standardised Mortality Ration in the borough.
Sandra Jones
Neighbourhood Coordinator
Roycraft House
15 Linton Road
Barking
IG11 8HE
Tel: 07972 003 772
Email: sandra.jones@lbbd.gov.uk|
