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Barking and Dagenham Council has become the latest London borough to declare a climate emergency – outlining ambitious plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

At a council Assembly meeting this week (Wednesday 29), councillors agreed a motion that commits the council “to do everything within their power” to take the steps to become a greener borough, including proposals to eventually eliminate gas boilers from its housing stock and using planning powers to make sure developers meet a strict greener criteria.

Barking and Dagenham residents could save on average £220* on their fuel bills by switching to Beam Energy’s two-year fixed tariff, which is one of the cheapest tariffs the company is offering as it celebrates its first anniversary this week.

Launched by Barking and Dagenham Council last year, the not-for-profit energy provider offers completely green and renewable energy, using electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels.**

Any profit made by the venture is reinvested into helping fund council services for our most vulnerable residents.

Residents can now find it easier to book a free NHS health check after a pilot scheme in Barking and Dagenham has been expanded across the borough.

Health-tech company, Appt Health, has teamed up with Barking and Dagenham Council to develop software that matches available GP appointments at 16 surgeries with patients, sending automated text messages that to people to choose a suitable time and date.

The owners of Crystal Cosmetics (Dagenham) Ltd are feeling money pressures this week after being ordered to pay more than £25,300 for having on sale thousands of products with incorrect labels. 

 

The Dagenham company, based on the Heathway, has been caught selling cosmetic products without labels showing the name and address of the person responsible for safety or listing correct ingredients terms. There are also two further offences concerning restricted and prohibited substances within cosmetic products they had on sale.

 

William Bellamy Primary School has been awarded £10,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund. 

The Dagenham school  will use the money to redevelop its playground, which will include permanent court markings, skills areas and a large dart board.

Parents will also be able to watch their kids take part in sporting events from the newly installed seats around the new playground.  

Two schools in Barking and Dagenham have taken it upon themselves to fund the return of school crossing patrols to protect pupils.

Furze Infants School and Warren Junior School, have paid for two lollipop ladies after parents asked for the service to be reinstated.

Working with Barking and Dagenham Council ‘s legal team, the schools managed to self-fund the return of the service this month at two locations – one outside Warren Junior School and one at the junction of High Road Chadwell Heath and Whalebone Lane North. 

A Barking resident has been fined £15,000 for building an illegal extension to his property without getting the required planning permission.

Laurence Albert Hill of 20 King Edward Road, Barking, initially put in a planning application to erect a first floor rear extension to his property in 2005. Following a rejection from the council, Hill appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate, who dismissed it. 

Ripple Primary School recently became the eighth school in the borough to be awarded the coveted Gold Artsmark Award.

The Award, which is given out by Arts Council England, recognises excellence in creative learning and rewards schools, like Ripple Primary, who use art to make students more confident.

With this, its fourteenth award, Barking and Dagenham continues to lead with the highest number of schools on their Artsmark journey in the capital.

Residents in the borough are being urged to go green and help the environment in 2020 by signing-up to Barking and Dagenham Council’s Green Garden Waste scheme.

The fortnightly service, which costs £40 per year, offers subscribers an environmentally friendly way to dispose of garden waste such as flowers and grass cuttings, weeds, leaves, and hedge trimmings.

The scheme launched in 2017 and last year around 7,500 residents signed-up.

Is your child due to start primary school in September 2020? Then please remember the deadline for applications is next Wednesday, 15 January.

Although parents won’t find out the results until mid-April, it is vitally important that they apply by the deadline.

Late applications could mean parents are less likely to secure a place for their child at their preferred school.