A rogue landlord who converted three family homes to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) without securing planning permission has been jailed for falsifying documents designed to prevent enforcement action. 

Siddarth Mahajan, 38 from Milton Crescent, Ilford purchased a three-bedroom property in Sherwood Gardens, Barking in July 2015. Council officers investigated following concerns that building works had been carried out at the property without prior planning permission. The investigation revealed the property had been converted to a HMO, without planning permission. 

Are you looking after someone else’s child? If so, you need to let the council know as it means you are fostering privately. 

If you are currently caring for someone else’s child who is under the age of 16 years (or 18 years if disabled) for longer than 28 days or more at any one time, you are privately fostering and must inform the council immediately unless you are a close relative. Close relatives include step-parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles or aunts.

A market trader has been fined £120 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs for selling fake Chanel products in Dagenham Sunday market.

Lauren Selby, 28, from Billericay Essex, was caught selling items bearing the “Chanel” trademark by Council Enforcement Officers on 5 November 2017.

Hasan Ozcan was remembered today (Monday 11 February 2019) at a memorial ceremony led by his family and friends at Barking Town Hall.

Over 80 people attended the memorial event for Hasan who was fatally stabbed on 3 February 2018. The event included a Turkish flag raising ceremony and a speech from the Turkish Ambassador. 

Sports has been at the heart of the borough’s primary schools over the last couple of weeks as a record number of schools took part in the Sportshall Athletics competition. 

Taking place at Sydney Russell School, 30 primary school teams mixed with boys and girls, competed in the multi-sports event. William Bellamy Primary School have been crowned the champions of the borough with an outstanding 518 points – 50 points ahead of the school placed in second.

The Dagenham school will now represent the borough at the London School Games later this year.

Last Thursday marked Young Carers Awareness Day and everyone at Eastbrook School in Dagenham came together to do something positive on the day.

All staff and students at the school wore a yellow ribbon to show their support and had to pay £1 to take part.

The young carers, who are students of the school, enjoyed a special lunch with Headteacher Mr Frith, Executive Headteacher Mr Gillard and the school governors.

Young people from Barking and Dagenham are counting down to the grand opening of Barking and Dagenham’s OnSide Youth Zone, ‘Future’.

Students from Robert Clack Upper School joined members of the Future Youth Zone team and Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, to celebrate there being just 100 days to go until the borough’s young people have access to world-class, inspiring facilities and activities for just 50p.

A shop owner in Barking and Dagenham has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,375 costs for illegally selling a cigarette to an underage person.

 

Mr Rahil Raval, 46, director of Rose Lane Convenience Store, Rose Lane RM6 5NR sold a single cigarette, outside of its packaging, to a person under the age of 18.

 

The offence took place on 30 May 2018 during a routine test purchase exercise by Council Trading Standards officers. Cigarettes were stored in a visible tin container with “single cigarettes = £1” written on the side.

A secondary school in Dagenham welcomed Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, last Thursday. 

Mr Gibb visited All Saints Catholic School after being invited along last year and was impressed by their teacher training provision and the rich curriculum on offer. 

During the tour of the school, the Minister answered questions from Year 12 students who are studying Crime and Punishment in the UK, and also met other pupils at break time.

Students from Eastbury Community School have been looking towards the future as they attended a careers fair last week.

According to the school, the evening was a ‘huge’ success with over 400 young people from Years 10 to 13 and their parents attending the event. 

The fair provided a fantastic opportunity for Year 11 students to sign up for colleges while sixth form pupils were able to network with universities and employers to find out a little more about what career choices are available to them in the future.