“Black History Month is not just about recognising the past, it’s about shaping the present and building a better future. It's a month dedicated to celebrating, and I couldn't be more excited to see us all come together to learn, share, and grow this month.”

The Neighbourhood Fund (NCIL) is an exciting £150,000 funding opportunity for residents and local groups to make a real difference in their local areas. The funding is open to community groups, charities and social enterprises in Barking and Dagenham to bid for grants of up to £10,000.

A rare preserved prehistoric yew tree from Dagenham has been added to the collections at Valence House Museum.

A Chadwell Heath resident who ignored warning letters from Barking and Dagenham Council enforcement officers to clean up their garden has been found guilty in court.

The selling of illicit tobacco and vapes is dangerous and last week, during a planned operation codenamed Operation CeCe, Trading Standards Officers from Barking and Dagenham Council took thousands of these illegal products off the streets.

A man from Southend has been ordered to pay over £500 after he was caught disposing a cigarette from his car window and driving off.

The ground-breaking social housing scheme A House for Artists in Barking Town Centre is in the running for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize – the highest accolade in UK architecture.

A landlord who continued to adapt their property illegally despite warnings from the council has been found guilty of ignoring an Enforcement Notice from Barking and Dagenham Council to reduce the size of an outbuilding he had constructed.

The doors are open to discover Barking and Dagenham from a new perspective this September as part of the free annual Open House Festival.

The second round of Barking and Dagenham Council’s ‘Your Estate Your Call’ project is inviting residents of Ibscott, Highview House and John Burns Drive estates to have their say on improvements they’d like to see in their local area.