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Eastbury Community School once again raised thousands of pounds for charity last term.

The school supports the Movember campaign every year by increasing awareness of prostate and testicular cancer and raising money for the charity. As well as staff getting sponsored to grow 'mos', there were assemblies to deliver the campaign's key messages, including supporting conversation around mental health to lower the rates of suicide, especially amongst men who find it difficult to talk about their problems.

Residents are being urged to have their say on the council’s latest budget plans, which include no cuts to frontline services as well as a multi-million-pound investment to improve the lives of families in Barking and Dagenham.

Around £11million will be invested over four years into the early help service to provide specialist early intervention to support those that need it the most, minimising the long-term cost to the taxpayer.

A council manager with responsibility for the borough’s libraries and community centres has been named in this year’s honours list.

Zoinul Abidin, Head of Universal Services has been recognised by Her Majesty the Queen and awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to public libraries.

Zoinul has is responsible for libraries, community hubs, social prescribing, community food clubs, children centres, healthy lifestyles and a nursery.

Daniel Adeshina, 20, from Barking, was among 10 youngsters from the east London music project Drum Works who performed with Keala Settle at this year’s Royal Variety Performance, which aired on Sunday 19 December. 

As part of senior ensemble Drum Heads, the former Eastbury School pupil, joined Keala on stage for a rousing performance of the hit This is Me from The Greatest Showman.

The latest milestone in the redevelopment of Barking’s Gascoigne neighbourhood was recently marked by a topping out ceremony.

The £56 million development alongside Ripple Road will provide 159 top quality affordable homes for local people, with rents as low as £159 a week for a one-bedroom flat at today’s prices.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement at the council, said meeting this milestone on one of London’s largest redevelopments is a minor miracle.

Barking and Dagenham Council has launched a brand-new advertising campaign to run across the borough encouraging residents to do their Christmas shopping locally this festive season. The campaign, which began this week, will run up until the New Year across all key retail points in the borough, including Barking Town Centre, Dagenham Heathway and Chadwell Heath. 

A new police team focussed fully on addressing locally identified policing priorities in Barking Town Centre launched earlier this week. 



As part of the Metropolitan Police’s Neighbourhood Policing initiative, the team is one of 19 being set up in town centres across London with a view to predominantly tackle violent crime.



The Barking team is made up of 25 officers who have been specifically selected because of their local knowledge and community engagement skills. 

Construction of a ‘garden style’ industrial development got underway by the Thames on Friday, 3 December.

Once completed, ‘Industria’ will be the first multi-storey light industrial development to be built in the UK and it will also feature two ‘living walls’, helping create a more sustainable space for industry to grow and develop.

Barking and Dagenham Council's education team has had its work celebrated in the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce's (RSA) toolkit designed for practitioners in schools, trusts and local authorities.

In its continued efforts to change the perceptions of safety and ease antisocial behaviour at Barking Station, Barking and Dagenham Council has extended Barking Market to the station parade in a trial run throughout December.



Earlier in the year, Barking Station was highlighted as a hot spot in a survey where the east London council asked women to highlight areas in the borough that they didn’t feel safe.