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The votes are in! Zubin Burley, 14, has been elected as the new Young Mayor of Barking and Dagenham.

Zubin was recently voted into the role by his peers in the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum, picking up the baton from his predecessor, Labella Anum.

The new Young Mayor has been a member of the youth forum for the past year and was keen to stand for the position. 

After being elected, Zubin said: “I see it as an honour to represent the young people of Barking and Dagenham.

Children and young people in Barking and Dagenham came together at a rousing climate crisis summit this week to learn more about environmental challenges and voice passionate views on what should happen to protect the planet for future generations. 

180 young people from across 31 schools, learned more about the council’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap, which seeks to make the borough carbon neutral by 2030, two decades ahead of the UK's overall target. 

Residents who are concerned, anxious or fearful about local tensions in Barking and Dagenham can now report their concerns directly to the local Community Safety Partnership with the help of a new online form.

 

The new online form hopes to address issues early to tackle and reduce the risk of crime and disorder that can occur when there are problems that need resolving.

 

A woman from Dagenham who refused to dispose of her general waste correctly has been issued with a £400 fine after she fly-tipped her bin bags outside her property on Parsloes Avenue.



The incident came about after Barking and Dagenham Council’s refuse team refused to empty her brown recycling bin as it was filled with general waste and the rules clearly state residents can’t do this.

Local people interested in working in the construction industry are being invited to attend a job fair at the Barking Learning Centre in Barking Town Square, on Wednesday 16 March between 10.30am and 1pm.



At the event, they will be able to speak to a range of employers and apply for jobs within the borough. Attendees will discover a whole host of job vacancies, as well as receive professional careers and guidance. There’ll be a job brokerage service, a construction desk from the Barking and Dagenham Job Shop, and a CV service.

In its aim to ensure that Barking and Dagenham continues to be safe place to live and work for residents, the east London council continues to fund a Crime and Enforcement Police Taskforce for the borough.



The Taskforce, which currently consists of nine police officers, has been funded by the council since 2012 and deals with crime and antisocial behaviour relating to tenants and leaseholders.



As well as this, the team works closely with the council’s enforcement team going on weekly joint operations and regular weapon sweeps.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham who are worried about their finances and need help to tackle debt are now able to get advice and support from a new local website.



Barking and Dagenham Money has been developed as part of the council’s wider work with its partners to tackle the challenges faced by residents around money and debt. As well as helping residents take control of their finances, it will connect people to support that can reduce the stress that debt and financial worry place on their lives.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement at Barking and Dagenham Council, Cllr Saima Ashraf used the first in person gathering of council members to make an impassioned plea for peace in Ukraine and all over the world.  

You can kill, and you can destroy buildings, but the people of Ukraine will live on – as they always have.

Speaking at Barking and Dagenham Council’s first in-person assembly meeting last night, (Wednesday 2 March), Cllr Saima Ashraf delivered this impassioned speech, saying:

Local eco-heroes spent this afternoon (Wednesday, 2 March) planting trees as part of an ambitious £20,000 re-greening and rejuvenation project along the River Roding in Barking, funded by council partner Clear Channel.

 

Volunteers from the River Roding Trust were joined by the Deputy Leader of the council, Councillor Saima Ashraf, and representatives from Out of Home media and infrastructure company, Clear Channel, to help give the saplings new homes.

 

Councillors announced the launch of the first tranche of Community Hubs, to be rolled out across the borough to support residents and provide the help they need nearer to where they live, as Barking and Dagenham Council approved its budget proposals for 2022/23 at a full council meeting on Wednesday, 2 March.