Borough Manifesto

Barking and Dagenham Together - Borough Manifesto

This sets out our long-term vision for Barking and Dagenham:

One Borough, One Community. No-one left behind

This short video summarises the aims of the manifesto:

Over the next 20 years we will work together to deliver our vision, joining forces to make change and improvements happen which benefit everyone. We will ensure every resident has a fair opportunity to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Almost 3,000 of you have helped develop the vision, aspirations and targets in the document, by giving your views on what you like about the borough, what you dislike, and your hopes for the borough. What you told us has formed the basis of developing a series of aspirations and targets.

The aspirations set out our hopes for the future across a number of themes. We have also set targets which will help us monitor whether we are on track to deliver the vision.

The targets are ambitious but realistic. If we achieve these targets we will see improvements in outcomes across a number of areas and the borough will be a better place to live, work, and study.

Borough Manifesto - Barking and Dagenham together (PDF, 1.08MB)

State of the borough: Barking and Dagenham 2020

The third annual State of the Borough Conference 2020, was held virtually on 4 November. Over 90 partners came together online to reflect on Barking and Dagenham’s partnership response to the unprecedented challenges faced in 2020, and shared many of the exciting projects that will be happening in 2021.

There were a number of discussions about the opportunities for further partnership working over the coming year, focusing on areas that will have the biggest impact on the borough’s residents.

There was also the opportunity for the council’s Insight Team to present the annual data results which show our progress against the Borough Manifesto targets:

Borough Manifesto Targets 2020
Infographics - State of the Borough 2020

If you would like to find out more about our community and how it’s changing, please see our Borough Data Explorer and Social Progress Index.

Infographic - State of the borough 2020 Toggle accordion

Infographic - State of the borough 2020 (PDF, 677KB)

Employment and Enterprise

6.8% unemployment - above previous year (5.5%) and above East London average (5.2%)
67.1% employment - below previous year (71.3%) and below East London average (72.7%)
0.8% JSA claimants - above previous year (0.6%) and below East London average (0.9%)
4.1% ESA claimants - below previous year (4.7%) and above East London average (3.8%)
13.2% Universal credit and not in employment - above previous year (4.7%) and above East London average (10.5%)
36.7% new business surviving 5 years - below previous year (39.6%) and below East London average (38.5%)
0.49 job density - Same as previous year and below East London average (0.69)
0% job growth - below previous year (1.6%) and below East London average (3.6%)
£29,500 median grow annual pay for full time workers - above previous year (£29,300) and below London average (£36,900)

Safety

23 Anti-Social Behaviour reported to police per 1,000 people - above previous year (22) and above Outer London average (22.7)
85.7 Anti-Social Behaviour reported to Council, per 1,000 people - above previous year (84.6)
50.3% feel unsafe after dark - below previous year (55.5%)
13.5% feel unsafe during the day - below previous year (14.7%)
1.9 racist hate crime per 1,000 population - above previous year (1.5) and above Outer London average (1.6)
14.7 domestic abuse offences per 1,000 people - above previous year (12.7) and above East London average (10.6)
45% assessments for children’s social care had domestic violence as a factor - above previous year (26.6%) and above East London average (38.1%)

Skills and Education

76.6% level 1 qualifications - below previous year (79.4%) and below London average (85.8%)
33.1% level 4 qualifications - above previous year (33%) and below London average (55.6%)
46.4 average attainment 8 score per pupil (GCSE) - above previous year (46.1) and below London average (49.8)

Environment

872.6kg waste per household - above previous year (850.8kg) and above London average (525.5kg)
23.7% recycling rate - below previous year (25%) and below London average (34.1%)
66.3% think rubbish or litter is a problem - above previous year (63.5%)

Community Engagement

22.3% gave unpaid help in the last 12 months – above previous year (22.1%)
44,000 engaged with Studio 3 Arts in 2019/20
4,200 Ever One Every Day participants registered as at September 2020 - above previous year (3,295)
7.8% adults volunteered to support sport or physical activity - above previous year (6.4%) and below East London average (8.1%)

Housing

10.7 ration house prices to earnings - above previous year (10.5) and below East London average (11.9)
3,000 new homes to be build by Be First by 2024 - 75% of which will be affordable
2,000 affordable homes to be delivered by 2022
£1,200 median private sector rent - same as previous year and below East London average (£1,413)
9.6% non-decent homes - below previous year (17.3%) and below East London average (10.3%)

Health and Wellbeing

44.9% year 6 pupils with excess weight - above previous year (44.5%) and above East London average (40.5%)
72.7% adults with excess weight - above previous year (64.4%) and above East London average (59.2%)
1,680 NHS admissions with obesity as a factor per 100,000 people - above previous year (1,520) and above East London average (1,629)
7.52 life satisfaction self-perception - below previous year (7.66) and below London average (7.58)
7.88 worthiness self-perception - below previous year (7.95) and above London average (7.77)
7.67 happiness self-perception - above previous year (7.61) and above London average (7.51)
2.82 anxiety self-perception - below previous year (2.85) and below London average (3.10)
60.1 male healthy life expectancy - below previous year (62.8) and below London average (64)
62.5 female healthy life expectancy - above previous year (62.3) and below London average (64.2)
47.5% adults active 150 minutes per week - below previous year (53.6%) and below East London average (60.1%)
58.6% adult participation in sport and physical activity - below previous year (66.1%) and below East London average (72.7%)
22.7% adults walk 5 times a week - below previous year (32.6%) and below East London average (34.4%)
3.5% adults cycle once a week - below previous year (6.7%) and below East London average (11.3%)

Borough Manifesto Targets 2020 Toggle accordion

Borough manifesto Targets 2020 (PDF, 328KB)

Borough Manifesto Targets 2020

Barking and Dagenham’s position compared to 32 London Boroughs.

Anti-Social Behaviour - 18th in 2017 moving to 14th in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Health Weight - 31st in 2017 moving to 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 25th.
Health Male Life Expectancy - 28th in 2017 moving to 30th in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Female Male Life Expectancy - 31st in 2017 moving to 23rd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Waste - 32nd in 2017 staying at 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 17th.
Personal Happiness and Wellbeing - 12th in 2017 moving to 9th in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 11th.
Recycling - 30th in 2017 moving to 28th in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 19th.
Improving income - 30th in 2017 moving to 31st in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 13th.
Survival of New Businesses - 31st in 2017 moving to 29th in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 25th.
Cycling - 26th in 2017 moving to 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 17th.
Walking - 32nd in 2017 staying at 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 23rd.
Educational Attainment - 31st in 2017 staying at 31st in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 18th.
Unemployment - 31st in 2017 moving to 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 19th.
Domestic Abuse - 32nd in 2017 staying at 32nd in 2020. Target position for 2037 is 20th.

Borough Manifesto - 3 year trend

Barking and Dagenham’s position compared to 32 London Boroughs

Anti-Social Behaviour - 16th in 2018. 14th in 2019. 14th in 2020.
Health Weight - 31st in 2018. 32nd in 2019. 32nd in 2020.
Health Male Life Expectancy - 32nd in 2018. 19th in 2019. 30th in 2020.
Female Male Life Expectancy - 30th in 2018. 26th in 2019. 23rd in 2020.
Waste - 31st in 2018. 31st in 2019. 32nd in 2020.
Personal Happiness and Wellbeing - 18th in 2018. 5th in 2019. 9th in 2020.
Recycling - 27th in 2018. 26th in 2019. 28th in 2020.
Improving income - 30th in 2018. 31st in 2019. 31st in 2020.
Survival of New Businesses - 30th in 2018. 21st in 2019. 29th in 2020.
Cycling - 27th in 2018. 26th in 2019. 32nd in 2020.
Walking - 32nd in 2018. 27th in 2019. 32nd in 2020.
Educational Attainment - 31st in 2018. 29th in 2019. 31st in 2020.
Unemployment - 30th in 2018. 32nd in 2019. 32nd in 2020.
Domestic Abuse - 32nd in 2018. 31st in 2019. 32nd in 2020.

State of the borough: Barking and Dagenham 2019

Following on from the 2018 annual state of borough conference, we held the 2nd conference in October 2019. Over 100 partners came together to discuss the progress we had collectively made over the past year towards achieving the vision of the Borough Manifesto, and the opportunities in the year ahead. We discussed some examples of great partnership working in Barking and Dagenham, the principles of public service that we share in common in this borough, and the biggest challenges facing our community as we head into the 2020s.

If you would like to find out more about our community and how it’s changing, please see our Borough Data Explorer and Social Progress Index.

The 2nd annual cut of data illustrates where we stand against our Borough Manifesto targets:

Borough Manifesto Targets 2019 Toggle accordion

Borough Manifesto targets 2019 (PDF, 219KB)

Borough Manifesto Targets 2019

Barking and Dagenham’s position compared to 32 London Boroughs.

Anti-Social Behaviour - 18th in 2017 moving to 14th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Health Weight - 31st in 2017 moving to 32nd in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 25th.
Health Male Life Expectancy - 28th in 2017 moving to 19th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Female Male Life Expectancy - 31st in 2017 moving to 26th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 14th.
Waste - 32nd in 2017 moving to 31st in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 17th.
Personal Happiness and Wellbeing - 12th in 2017 moving to 11th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 11th.
Recycling - 30th in 2017 moving to 26th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 19th.
Improving income - 30th in 2017 moving to 31st in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 13th.
Survival of New Businesses - 31st in 2017 moving to 21st 2019. Target position for 2037 is 25th.
Cycling - 26th in 2017 staying at 26th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 17th.
Walking - 32nd in 2017 moving to 27th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 23rd.
Educational Attainment - 31st in 2017 moving to 29th in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 18th.
Unemployment - 31st in 2017 moving to 32nd in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 19th.
Domestic Abuse - 32nd in 2017 moving 31st in 2019. Target position for 2037 is 20th.

Infographic - State of the borough 2019 Toggle accordion

Infographic - State of the borough 2019 (PDF, 728KB)

Employment and Enterprise

6.1% unemployment - below previous year (6.4%) and above East London average (5.3%)
69% employment - above previous year (68.6%) and below East London average (72.4%)
0.8% JSA claimants - below previous year (2.0%) and same as East London average
4.9% ESA claimants - below previous year (5.5%) and above East London average (4.3%)
3.9% Universal credit and not in employment - above previous year (0.6%) and above East London average (2.8%)
39.6% new business surviving 5 years - above previous year (38.3%) and above East London average (39.5%)
0.49 job density - above previous year (0.48) and below East London average (0.69)
1.6% job growth - below previous year (3.2%) and below East London average (3.2%)
£29,300 median grow annual pay for full time workers - below previous year (£30,200) and below London average (£36,000)

Safety

22 Anti-Social Behaviour reported to police per 1,000 people - below previous year (23.8) and above Outer London average (21.5)
84.6 Anti-Social Behaviour reported to Council, per 1,000 people - below previous year (87.6)
55.5% feel unsafe after dark - above previous year (47.1%)
14.7% feel unsafe during the day - above previous year (11.7%)
1.5 racist hate crime per 1,000 population - below previous year (1.7) and same as Outer London average
12.7 domestic abuse offences per 1,000 people - above previous year (12.3) and above East London average (10.5)
26.6% assessments for children’s social care had domestic violence as a factor - above previous year (24.5%) and below East London average (38.8%)

Skills and Education

79.4% level 1 qualifications - above previous year (74.2%) and below London average (84.8%)
33% level 4 qualifications - above previous year (30.7%) and below London average (53.1%)
46.1 average attainment 8 score per pupil (GCSE) - below previous year (46.7) and below London average (49.4)

Environment

850.8kg waste per household - above previous year (843.4kg) and above London average (559.5kg)
25% recycling rate - below previous year (25.3%) and below London average (33.1%)
63.5% think rubbish or litter is a problem - above previous year (58%)

Community Engagement

22.1% gave unpaid help in the last 12 months - below previous year (23.3%)
53,000 engaged with Studio 3 Arts in 2018/19 - double previous year (26,600)
3,295 Ever One Every Day participants registered as at October 2019 - almost treble than reported last year
8.4% adults volunteered to support sport or physical activity - below previous year (10.7%) and below East London average (10.5%)

Housing

10.6 ration house prices to earnings - above previous year (10.5) and below East London average (11.9)
3,121 new homes to be build by Be First by 2024
75% of new homes to be built by Be First by 2024 will be affordable
£1,200 median private sector rent - same as previous year and below East London average (£1,403)
17.3% non-decent homes - below previous year (48.3%) and above East London average (12%)

Health and Wellbeing

43.9% year 6 pupils with excess weight - above previous year (42.8%) and above East London average (41.2%)
64.4% adults with excess weight - above previous year (62.8%) and above East London average (58.1%)
1,520 NHS admissions with obesity as a factor per 100,000 people - above previous year (1,250) and above East London average (1,223)
7.66 life satisfaction self-perception - above previous year (7.50) and above London average (7.52)
7.95 worthiness self-perception - above previous year (7.74) and above London average (7.73)
7.61 happiness self-perception - above previous year (7.38) and above London average (7.44)
2.85 anxiety self-perception - below previous year (3.02) and below London average (3.13)
62.8 male healthy life expectancy - above previous year (58.2) and below London average (63.9)
62.3 female healthy life expectancy - above previous year (60.6) and below London average (64.6)
53.6% adults active 150 minutes per week - above previous year (49.2%) and below East London average (60%)
66.1% adult participation in sport and physical activity - below previous year (67.9%) and below East London average (74.2%)
32.6% adults walk 5 times a week - above previous year (25.7%) and below East London average (35.3%)
6.7% adults cycle once a week - below previous year (6.8%) and below East London average (11.2%)

State of the borough: Barking and Dagenham 2018

At the launch of the Borough Manifesto in July 2017, it was agreed that the Barking and Dagenham Delivery Partnership would report on progress towards targets and aspirations on an annual basis.
The State of the Borough report is the first yearly update. Because the Manifesto is a long-term 20 year vision, the report presents our latest performance in infographics, alongside case studies which give insight in to some of the work partners have been doing over the past 12 months, laying the foundations for future growth and improvement.

State of the Borough report (PDF, 6.6MB)

This short video summarises some of our key achievements since the Borough Manifesto launch:

However, the report is only a snapshot of a few organisations; there are many more doing great work in the borough and too many to highlight in one report.

Further case studies (PDF, 827KB)

Rationale for targets Toggle accordion

The targets we have chosen have been selected after careful consideration and analysis. We have looked at current trends, performance of the rest of London and neighbouring boroughs, and the rate of improvement required to hit the target. We have set out why specific targets have been chosen and the rationale for each:

Targets rationale (PDF, 1.30MB)

Barking and Dagenham Together - Borough Manifesto consultation Toggle accordion

From August to October 2016, we were busy speaking to the community about the future of the borough.

We asked:

what they liked about Barking and Dagenham
what they disliked about Barking and Dagenham
what their hopes were for the borough over the next 20 years.

Paper based consultation forms were available from all leisure centres, children’s centres, libraries, the Dagenham One Stop Shop, Barking Learning Centre, and various partner organisations.

These forms were also used at the summer events programme where the council carried out face to face engagement with residents. They were also used in 15 of the borough’s primary schools and at meetings with partner and voluntary sector groups.

An online consultation was also available and communicated widely, including promotion to commuters at Barking, Dagenham Heathway and Chadwell Heath railway stations.

A separate consultation form aimed at young people was designed by the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum. All secondary schools in the borough were invited to ask their student’s to take part.

The Technical Skills Academy also rolled this online consultation out to their students.

And we’ve had a great response! In total 2,814 people told us what they think.

We received:

1,091 paper responses
564 online responses
624 from our secondary schools and Technical Skills Academy
535 from our primary schools

The community articulated these things as their hopes for the future:

much cleaner borough - streets, parks, front gardens
more affordable housing for all life stages
greater enforcement against environmental ASB and behaviour change amongst residents
more high street shops and department stores in the borough.
places to eat, drink and socialise - good night time offer
more integrated, cohesive community with renewed sense of community spirit
an aspirational place to live and work, and for businesses to settle – a destination that people visit, not just pass through
higher standards in education and improved Ofsted ratings of the borough’s schools
more people in employment, more local job opportunities and overall a more affluent borough
less crime and greater feeling of safety on the streets
more facilities for young people to keep them off the streets and more services for older people to keep them active
people take pride in their local area and do their bit to keep it clean