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Barking and Dagenham Council's gritting vehicles have been officially given their new names: Bobby Moore Grit, Albus Dumblethaw and The Grounding Granny, at a special ceremony held at Gascoigne Primary School today.

After months of planning, hundreds of entries, tough deliberations and nail-biting head-to-heads, two of the final three names were chosen via a series of polls on the council's Facebook and Twitter pages, while the third was selected by a panel of judges from the suggestions sent in by our schools.

Barking and Dagenham's Future Youth Zone - the £6.5 million facility which is set to open next Spring - has launched its volunteer recruitment drive.

As well as a 50-strong team of staff, the Youth Zone are on the lookout for 100 volunteers, with positions available, ranging from administrative support to working with the Young People's Development Group.

There is still time for people to make their voice heard on Barking and Dagenham Council’s landlord licensing scheme – joining the hundreds of others who have already had their say.

The initiative requires all private landlords to purchase a licence if they intend to rent their home out, allowing the council to make sure all properties meet a certain standard and are safe for people to live in.

It’s the season of giving but this festive period, Barking and Dagenham Council wants to remind residents not to give too much to landfill and to stuff their recycling bins, as well as their turkeys.

From gift packaging to unwanted sprouts, the Christmas holidays lead to an inevitable increase in household waste, but the council is urging local people not to forget about recycling during the festivities. 

A scheme designed to get residents of Barking and Dagenham moving has now gone live in parks around the borough. After launching last year as a pilot in Mayesbrook Park, the game will now be available borough-wide. 

Players will now also be able to take part in two new routes; Parsloes Park and Chadwell Heath/Marks Gate (St Chads Park up towards Tantony Green). The two new routes join Mayesbrook Park, Central Park, Eastbrookend Country Park, Old Dagenham Park, Beam Valley Parklands and Barking Park through to Abbey Green.

Two east London councils have successfully secured thousands of pounds of government funding to tackle serious violence and exploitation among young people.

The joint bid by Barking and Dagenham Council and Redbridge Council will see £500,000 of Home Office cash being used to fund a 18-month initiative called ‘Your Voice – Your Future’, which will focus on working with primary and secondary school pupils.

Father Christmas is starting his journey early this year and will be making a flying visit to Barking in a couple of weeks.

The council supported by our sponsors Countryside and PartyBox are planning another fun filled, festive day in Barking Town Square on Saturday 1 December.

Next week marks National HIV Testing Week and Barking and Dagenham residents are being encouraged to take the opportunity to have a free, confidential HIV test.

Barking and Dagenham Council have proposed plans to introduce controlled parking zones (CPZ) in more than 100 roads across the borough.

Letters have been sent to residents who live in the affected zones – designated as zones A, B, C, and D – asking for their views on the new parking plans.

Under the proposed CPZ plans, only residents who have applied for a permit will be able to park on certain roads during set hours.

A public consultation into Barking and Dagenham Council’s plans for its budget will go live next Thursday, 22 November, seeking views on its plans to bridge a £50 million government funding gap whilst protecting key services.

Government grants for local authorities have reduced by nearly 50 per cent since 2010, which has forced Barking and Dagenham Council to make unprecedented cuts totalling £153 million.