Back in the Summer, Barking and Dagenham Council asked residents to show off their photography skills, for a local wildlife photo competition called ‘Wild and Free’, run by the council's Ranger Services team.

They were asked to explore local wildlife in the borough’s parks and green spaces and to take photos that showcased how wonderful the wildlife is in the borough. The judges were not disappointed by the skills on show as they received lots of amazing pictures from anything to sunflowers to green woodpeckers, demonstrating how diverse the local wildlife is.

Barking and Dagenham Council certainly isn’t afraid of trying new ways to stop people dumping and fly tipping on the borough’s streets and starting from this week residents will see the council’s ‘Don’t be a tosser’ campaign on council vehicles.

The council have now branded up its 7.5ft caged tipper trucks with the messaging in a continued hope that it will put off residents from messing up the borough with their rubbish.

Barking and Dagenham Council is working with local voluntary organisations to bring some ‘Christmas Cheer’ to the borough, in what has been an awful year for everyone. With residents being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in one way or another, and as we get closer to Christmas, the council wants to start putting a smile back on people’s faces before the year is out.

The council’s ‘Christmas Cheer’ campaign is about providing hope, re-connecting people who might not be able to see each other at the moment, and supporting people who need a bit of help this festive season. 

For her work with hard to reach communities and support for grassroot organisations, Barking and Dagenham Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, Cllr Saima Ashraf, was last night (Thursday 26 November), awarded the coveted Community Champion Award at the LGIU and CCLA annual Cllr Awards 2020.

 

Cllr Ashraf was chosen because of ‘her ability to work with different and hard to reach sectors which is needed now more than ever. Judges were impressed by the sustainability, breadth and longevity of her community work’.

This news article was published in 2020 so refers to an old event.

Residents and visitors to Barking and Dagenham are being reminded to take part in a short consultation on how the council can improve air quality in the east London borough.

Earlier this year, (Monday 5 October), Barking and Dagenham Council launched its draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), which outlines the actions it will take to improve air quality for its residents and people visiting the borough over the next five years.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham are being encouraged to consider a career in local government by taking advantage of the opportunity to apply for a place on the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP).

The NGDP is a fast-track two-year programme for local graduates to work across different council services to influence, shape and improve council services for residents.

Newly qualified graduates who are borough residents and looking for new opportunities in local government are welcome to apply.

Barking and Dagenham Council joined up with organisations from around the world to draw attention to the continued violence endured by members of the transgender community, and to remember those that have sadly passed away.

Every year on 20 November, the lives of trans and gender-diverse people murdered are remembered. In total, 350 transgender people were killed this year (2020), a figure that has risen compared to last year’s total of 331.

A tip off from local residents has resulted in council enforcement officers and the police closing down a Dagenham brothel.

The property, on Reede Road, Dagenham was confirmed as an unlicensed House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) which had been sublet by the owners, was visited by housing enforcement officers and the police on Thursday 12 November.

The council’s cemeteries have been awarded a Gold Award for the second year running, indicating that our cemetery services are ranked among the highest in the country.

This year’s Gold Award confirms our strong commitment to the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), which develops and improves bereavement services and sets the standards of service for the industry, as well as the Charter for the Bereaved.