The votes are in and Barking and Dagenham has a new Young Mayor, Joshua Singh-Hill.

Singh-Hill, 16 of All Saints Catholic School will replace Wesley Oparaugo and will be the Young Mayor until February 2020.

The All Saints pupil has been part of the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum for the last two years and felt now was the right time to stand to be Young Mayor.

“Becoming Young Mayor is an absolute privilege and an amazing opportunity.” 

A church formerly based in Barking and the landlord of the property it rented, have been ordered to pay a combined confiscation order of £196, 250.59 in contravention of a planning enforcement notice issued by Barking and Dagenham Council.

 

At a hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday 18 February, both defendants were sentenced to confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

 

Barking and Dagenham residents will get one last chance to have their say on how faith organisations operate in the borough, as the Faith and Belief Forum’s borough-wide questionnaire gets set to close on Friday 1 March. 

The questionnaire forms part of a collaboration with the Barking and Dagenham Faith Forum and the council. All three organisations are working together to develop a new policy, which will help to ensure that the contributions of the faith communities are recognised and celebrated.

Barking Learning Centre will be hosting a series of fortnightly Comic Book Workshops over the coming months, as part of the council’s Pen to Print programme.

The workshops commenced on 2 February and are taking place every other Saturday from 10am to 12pm until 6 April 2019.

Graphic novelist Wallis Eates will be in attendance, helping residents to improve their creative writing and artistic skills as they design their own comic strips.

Barking and Dagenham council is reminding all its green-fingered residents that there's still time to sign up for their Green Garden Waste permits.

With the weather slowly warming up, it won’t be long before we can get back out into the garden. From vegetable patch perfectionists to flower fans, the first step for anyone looking to spruce up their outdoor space this year should be to get their Green Garden Waste permit sorted.

Barking and Dagenham residents are being invited to meet and discuss the re-establishment of the ‘Friends of Eastbrookend’ by the council’s Rangers Service.

The group will cover Eastbrookend Country Park and The Chase Nature Reserve, working with the Rangers to help maintain and improve these sites. Members of the group will also have the opportunity to take part in the management of the two locations.

It was a successful day at the East London round of the London Youth Games for Robert Clack School on Tuesday, as two teams made it through to the finals.

The Year 7 girls and Year 8 boys made it through after competing in the speed bounce, vertical jump, four lap race, shot put and many other events.

The deadline is fast approaching for community groups, charities and social enterprises across Barking and Dagenham to bid for funding of up to £10,000, as the council gets set to distribute money raised from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL).

NCIL is a fee the council charges developers when they are building new housing developments in the borough, to make sure any such developments also benefit the local community.

More fly tippers have been caught on camera in Barking and Dagenham Council’s latest CCTV online appeal. 

The thirteenth instalment in the YouTube series takes a look at fly-tipping hotspots in St. Chad’s Road in Chadwell Heath and Rowallen Parade, Dagenham. The council is encouraging residents to get in touch in confidence if they recognise any of the fly-tippers featured in the latest episode. 

The borough flag was flown at half mast on Monday 11 February as a mark of respect in memory of former Councillor Mabel Arnold, who sadly passed away peacefully in a nursing home on Sunday 10 February at the age of 102.

Mabel served as a Councillor between 1974 and 1998 serving initially the Manor Ward.  She represented the Parsloes Ward between 1978 and 1986 and then the former Cambell Ward between 1986 and 1998.