Title

Sign up to our newsletter

With the government bringing coronavirus business grant funding to a close on Friday, 28 August, businesses across Barking and Dagenham are being urged to check if they are eligible for the grant.

Since the start of the pandemic, the council has been supporting local businesses and administering the government’s rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, as well as the grant schemes for small businesses.

A council officer had a great week as his investigative nature and persistence led to him closing two fly tipping incidents.

Firstly, the officer visited Faircross Avenue, near the junction with Monteagle Avenue where rubbish had been dumped and following an investigation, he came across some evidence that pointed him in the direction of a property.

Barking and Dagenham Council has lent it support to Keep London Safe – a London wide campaign to raise awareness of Covid-19 testing after research showed 46 per cent of Londoners don’t know how to get a test.

The campaign, launched today Wednesday 29 July, is a collaboration between London Councils, the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation, supported by Public Health England (PHE), the NHS, and Greater London Authority (GLA), the partnership will span borough boundaries and address the challenges of London’s diversity, deprivation and density.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham are benefitting from cleaner streets and tidier neighbourhoods, after the council invested in ten electric blowers to help keep the borough clean.

The new electric blowers are very effective for getting litter and leaves out of difficult to reach places, for example in and around parked vehicles on streets, while also being easy to use for long periods. 

The new cleaning blowers are electric, rather than running on petrol or oil, quieter to use in residential areas, and more environmentally-friendly as they have zero-emissions.

New parents in Barking and Dagenham are being urged to claim their Child Benefit, even if they have not yet been able to register the birth of their new-borns, to ensure they don’t miss out.

Claims can only be backdated by up to three months, so it’s important that new parents claim as soon as they can to receive the maximum support available.

Usually, to claim Child Benefit parents must register their child’s birth first. However, due to the pandemic the local register office is operating at a reduced capacity and some parents have been unable to register their child.

Residents in Barking and Dagenham facing reduced income as a result of lockdown, or that have been made redundant and now claim Universal Credit, are being encouraged to take advantage of the council’s Cosy Homes scheme.

Cosy Homes is a partnership between the Council, E.ON energy and installers J & J Crump, and aims to help residents make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat.

A government backed initiative which has the potential to create 1.5 million jobs and bring in up to £115 billion into the UK economy has been launched.

The Thames Estuary Growth Board, led by Government-appointed Envoy Kate Willard, and includes Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, launched ‘The Green Blue’, which sets out plans for the region over the next two years, looking ahead over the next ten years.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham who may have lost their jobs during the pandemic or may be considering a career change are able to find out about opportunities available at a career change online session.

On the day, participants will be able to find out about starting their own business, support available from the Barking Enterprise Centre, Job Centre Plus and local job opportunities available.

In addition, employers including the Met Police, the Care sector and Barking Riverside London will be available to talk about jobs on offer and how to apply.

An east London council is determined to win the war against fly tipping and is determined not to take any prisoners in doing so.

 

Over the last few years, Barking and Dagenham Council has been leading the way in the battle against fly tippers but lockdown has seen an increase in ‘tossers’ dumping their rubbish across the borough. That’s why the council is launching a new initiative to deter the offenders as well as relaunching the award-winning Wall of Shame series that names and shames people on social media dumping their rubbish.

 

A two-day joint operation between the police and council officers to address anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime in Barking Town Centre has resulted in a number of arrests.

The operation, which took place in the afternoon and evenings of Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 July included a dispersal zone in Barking Town Centre, extra patrols, issuing of anti-social behaviour tickets and intelligence gathering.