It Starts Here

Barking and Dagenham Council agrees new borough plan: It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change

Barking and Dagenham Council has agreed a major new boroughwide plan, It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change, at its Assembly meeting on 25 February 2026.

The new plan sets out a refreshed, ambitious vision for the future of the borough and replaces the Borough Manifesto published in 2017. The document sets out clear outcomes that the council will work together with partners on to improve the lives of residents.

A shared vision, rooted in partnership

The vision for Barking and Dagenham remains unchanged: a place that people are proud of and where they want to live, work, study and stay. Realising that ambition requires strong, long-term collaboration, and the new plan is jointly owned by key partners including the NHS, Police, and BD Giving as a leading representative of the voluntary community, faith and social enterprise centre.

This collective approach will help the borough tackle some of its biggest challenges - from poverty and inequality to health, safety and the environment by focusing capacity and resources across agencies and creating a coordinated system‑wide response. 

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “This plan embodies the very best of Barking and Dagenham - our ambition, our resilience and our determination to build a better future together. It is a shared call to action that places partnership and community at its heart. 

“Whether it's tackling poverty, improving health, strengthening safety or investing in our neighbourhoods, this work can only happen when we move forward as one system. It Starts Here.”

Ten missions to drive long-term change

It Starts Here: Partnerships for Change sets out ten missions that will guide work across the borough in the years ahead. These cover the issues that matter most to residents, including:

  • Healthy and thriving children – supporting children to get the best possible start in life.
  • Building financial resilience – reducing poverty and hardship through joined up anti-poverty action.
  • Access to good work – helping more local people into good quality, secure jobs.
  • Preventing and managing long‑term conditions – earlier detection and healthier neighbourhoods.
  • Independent living – supporting people to live independently for longer.
  • Zero tolerance to domestic abuse – a whole system response to preventing harm.
  • Feeling safe – improving safety and confidence through strong community engagement.
  • Better homes – delivering warm, modern homes and improving social housing quality.
  • Clean neighbourhoods – reducing waste, boosting recycling and tackling environmental offences.
  • Culture and heritage placemaking – using arts and heritage to strengthen identity and drive regeneration. 

Residents can view the document here. 

‘It Starts Here’, the new borough campaign 

The plan launches alongside It Starts Here, a council developed, new campaign for the borough celebrating the history, character, ambition and aspiration of Barking and Dagenham. The campaign aims to flip outdated narratives about the borough - showcasing its community spirit, hidden gems, and growing opportunities in education, culture, business and more.

Residents can view the special campaign video and find out more here. 

From resident stories and community pride to Days of Action that bring services and volunteers together to tackle local issues, the campaign encourages everyone to play a part. It celebrates a borough that is changing for the better - and changing together.

Cllr Ashraf added: “It Starts Here is more than a campaign - it’s a movement. It’s about telling the positive story of Barking and Dagenham and bringing people and organisations together to create the future we all want. Our new plan sets the framework for that shared ambition. It’s a signal of what we stand for, what we believe in, and what we will deliver - together.”

Next steps

Delivery of the ten missions will be taken forward through existing partnership boards and supported by key strategies including the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Community Safety Plan, Inclusive Growth Strategy and Antipoverty Strategy. The plan brings these agendas together into a single, united vision for the borough.