As a borough we have suffered from the decline of industry, leading to a fall in the number and quality of jobs in the borough. Too many of our residents are in jobs that offer poor wages and little security, and there is a real lack of decent training opportunities, particularly for younger residents. Our role is to do what we can to improve the quantity and quality of jobs in the borough, whilst supporting all residents, no matter their circumstances, to access these new opportunities.

To read more our plans take a look at B&D Working Together - A summary of our plans for jobs in Barking & Dagenham. Or to read about how these plans respond directly to the questions you asked in January 2019, take a look at the questions and answers section below.

B&D Working Together - A summary of our plans for jobs in Barking & Dagenham (PDF, 2.3MB)

Questions and answers

How can you force employers to give new jobs to local people?

Councils are legally able to use procurement and (Section 106) planning powers to require contractors and developers to create training and job opportunities for borough residents, alongside other community benefits. We are committed to doing so and will also encourage better employment practices by providing support and incentives, and setting a good example through our recruitment and staff development programmes.

Don't most people want to work outside of the borough?

Many do, yes. That’s why our local jobs and careers services promote opportunities outside as well as inside the borough, and why improving transport links is part of our strategy. However, the borough has fewer jobs per person compared to other London boroughs, many of them in low paid sectors. This means that those that need to work locally due to caring responsibilities or other reasons can struggle to find well-paid work that offers opportunities to develop and progress. This contributes to the borough’s relatively high levels of inactivity and unemployment.

Don't residents need to be given help to access new jobs?

Some do, yes. That’s why one of our priorities is to establish more training and employment pathways into good jobs in local growth sectors such as film, food and construction. We are also ensuring new opportunities are advertised through the council’s job brokerage services, which provide training and advice for unemployed residents to access work, including expert support for people who have been unemployed for a long time or face disadvantage in the labour market due to their circumstances.

Won't new industry bring more pollution, more traffic and more congestion?

Our goal is to move away from the ‘dirty’ industries of the past and instead support growth in cleaner, more sustainable 21st century industries that can offer meaningful work for residents. We are committed to reducing carbon emissions in the borough and are working to improve public transport links, cycling and walking.

Will new businesses arriving in the borough come at the expense of the existing business community?

We are committed to supporting existing local businesses to access the opportunities associated with large new developments and council procurement more widely. We’re also working to modernise and intensify the use of existing industrial land, much of which is under-utilised, in order to benefit both new and existing businesses - particularly in sectors that are able to offer meaningful and sustainable job opportunities to residents.