Barking & Dagenham

Labour Manifesto 2018

Over the past 4 years we have made great strides in Barking and Dagenham despite the Tory Government cutting the Council’s funding in half. We have invested in new services, and attracted millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs to support you and your aspirations for the future. Over the next 4 years we want to carry on delivering for the borough with 2,000 new homes at rents residents can afford, investing more money in roads and pavements, and bringing more homes up to a decent standard. We also want the best for our young people by building London’s first Youth Zone in Parsloes Park. We are proud that 9 out of 10 local schools are Good or Outstanding according to Ofsted. At the same time, protecting our most vulnerable citizens remains our number one priority. This doesn’t happen by chance - it takes strong leadership and a desire to make sure no one is left behind. We believe Barking and Dagenham is a great borough with a fantastic future. By voting Labour on Thursday 3rd May, together we can make it even better.

Councillor Darren Rodwell

Labour Leader of Barking & Dagenham Council

Fair to everyone, ambitious for all

We are now campaigning for your support to

make sure every train station in the borough is

in Zone 4 to make your tube journeys cheaper

We asked for your support for our campaign to make

sure everyone in Barking & Dagenham is no more

than one bus journey from Queen’s Hospital

15,000 Door Step Conversa-

tions We made sure that residents can still report crime in

Dagenham despite Tory cuts imposed on the Police -

our fight to save Barking police station has just begun

We campaigned on the doorstep asking you to

support our fight to save the A&E at King

George Hospital from closure

Over the past 4 years, your Labour Councillors and MPs have been working hard. We’ve been busy listening to your concerns and since 2014 we have ...

Had 106,412 doorstep conversations across Barking & Dagenham

Addressed 22,407 individual cases raised with the Council on behalf of

residents in the borough

And contacted 19,896 people who have signed up to support our

campaigns. Here are just a few ...

Listening & working hard for you

Secured London’s first Youth Zone – a brand new facility in Parsloes Park that will provide a safe place for over 250 young people to go every day.

Been given the green light by the Mayor of London to build London’s biggest film studio in Eastbrook creating up to 2,000 jobs for local people and bringing around £35 million a year to the local economy.

Opened our very own affordable and flexible university in Dagenham with Coventry University at the former Civic Centre, with an £8 million investment securing the future of the building for generations to come.

Built over 1,300 homes for truly affordable rent - including 586 Council homes.

Opened the new Abbey Leisure Centre in the heart of Barking – with a new three screen cinema now being developed on the old Abbey Sports Centre site.

And continued to improve our local schools – with 9 out of 10 now rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

Over the past 4 years we have …...

Attracted over £1 billion of investment to the borough – Barking & Dagenham is London’s growth opportunity.

Introduced a private landlord licensing scheme to tackle rogue landlords and raise standards in private sector rented housing – so far over 13,000 properties have been inspected and 27 rogue landlords have been successfully prosecuted.

Begun building a new 4 lane, 50m Olympic size swimming pool at Becontree Heath Leisure Centre – opening this year.

Invested in our enforcement team – they will have the latest equipment including bikes and portable CCTV cameras to help them catch people committing ‘grime crime’.

Established the hugely popular Summer of Festivals programme attended by thousands of residents – favorites include the Barking Folk Festival, Steam and Cider Fair, One Borough Festival, Youth Parade, Eastbrook Country Fair & the Roundhouse Music Festival.

We’ve also …...

Ban illegal campsites and fly-tipping in Barking & Dagenham – the first Council in London to obtain a High Court injunction that will protect 133 sites across the borough.

Improve our already fantastic Children’s Centre's – 100% are now rated Good or Outstanding according to Ofsted.

Use our ‘Wall of Shame’ website page to restore civic pride – the first of its kind to ask residents on social media to help us identify and catch those suspected of fly-tipping.

Persuade Transport for London to divert the Number 5 bus route to Queen’s Hospital – securing a direct bus service from Barking to the hospital for the first time.

Save Dagenham Police Station – we won the argument for more visible policing but now the fight begins to keep the counter open at Barking Police Station.

Become the first Council in the country to introduce a Dog DNA scheme in local parks and other public spaces – which reduced dog fouling and protected the environment at no cost to residents.

And we’ve campaigned to …

No one left behind — our pledges for the future

We pledge to invest in the future of every man, woman and child in the borough despite

the austerity imposed on us by the current Tory government. We will…...

Secure & affordable homes for local people The Tory Government won’t let us build Council housing that can be protected from being sold off. Until we can, we will use our Council-owned housing company to build 2,000 truly affordable new homes over the next 5 years. Our new ‘Right to Rent’ (R2R) homes will offer secure tenancies at rents that are the same as Council housing in the borough. The homes will range from 1 to 4 bedrooms and form part of our ambitious plans to build 50,000 homes over the next 20 years to ease overcrowding and help your children settle here. We’ll also provide a range of other options including renting, owning and shared ownership to help those who want to get a foot on the property ladder. Boosting jobs & growing local business We want Barking & Dagenham to be a place where businesses, skills and enterprise flourish. We’re committed to making sure this happens through initiatives like our start-up support service at Barking Enterprise Centre and The Cube at Londoneast-uk in Dagenham. We will support residents in getting the qualifications and skills they need to access new jobs. We have already secured over £1 billion of investment into the borough over the past 4 years. Together with our work to secure big projects, like Eastbrook Film Studios in Dagenham, we will provide jobs and growth for all.

No one left behind — housing & growth

Making the borough cleaner There’s no denying we haven’t always got it right—in the past our streets could have been cleaner. But we’re determined to get it right and we have a plan to improve every part of the borough, despite the deep cuts to our budget imposed by the Tory government. Tackling ‘grime crime’ is a key priority. That’s why we’ve made it easier for residents to report problems like fly-tipping through the Council’s website. We’re also investing in our enforcement team to make sure they have the latest equipment to help them do their job. Building a safer & stronger borough We believe in visible neighbourhood policing - that’s why we successfully fought plans to close Dagenham Police Station and we will keep campaigning to secure services in Barking. We have successfully prevented illegal Traveller campsites from ruining our parks and open spaces. We are the first Council in London to obtain a High Court injunction that allows us to force those setting up illegal sites to move immediately, as well as tackle fly-tipping more effectively. We’re also making sure private landlords in the borough have a licence before they can rent out their property. If a rogue landlord refuses to get a licence and won’t take responsibility for their tenants, we will raid the property and prosecute them if they continue to flout the law.

No one left behind — a cleaner & safer borough

Giving children & young people the best start in life We know that your family’s future is very important to you. That’s why we’re working with partners and young people to build London’s first Youth Zone. This purpose-built facility in Parsloes Park will provide a place for up to 250 young people to learn new skills for just 50p per session, plus an annual £5 membership fee. There will be opportunities to enjoy football, boxing, climbing, arts, drama and training to get them ready for work. Building work is already underway! Despite Tory cuts to the education budget, we have also worked hard to improve our local schools. Exam results are getting better each year and 9 out of 10 of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. Our Children’s Centres are some of the best in the country – all are rated Good or Outstanding. Protecting the most vulnerable We will always help and protect the most vulnerable in our community. In the face of continued Tory austerity, we pledge to keep providing the highest possible standards in social care and health care for our residents. Initiatives like our new Disability Service will help people plan for their future care if they have a lifelong disability, and our new Care and Support Hub provides a range of information to help disabled people to live healthy, fulfilling and independent lives.

No one left behind

— the best start in life & protecting the vulnerable

Helping with the bills We know how difficult it can be to make ends meet, especially with rising gas and electricity bills. That’s why we have created B&D Energy. The Council has a long history of helping residents with their bills through different schemes to enable them to get cheaper energy. We want to go one step further and provide residents with a low cost energy option through our new Council-owned energy company. B&D Energy has no private shareholders and does not pay its Directors bonuses – it’s there to offer low and competitive energy tariffs for local residents. At the same time we’re investing in green energy technology, like LED street lights, to cut our carbon footprint by 25% by 2025 and realise our ambition to be become London’s green capital. One borough, one community We’re also committed to promoting equality and tackling discrimination to ensure that no is one left behind as the borough continues to change. We want to build a stronger community where everyone respects one another. That’s why we produced a Good Neighbour Guide based on your feedback, which explains how people should treat each other.

No one left behind

— help with the bills & building a stronger community

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Promoted by Darren Rodwell on behalf of the local Barking and Dagenham Labour candidates all at 152 Reede Road, Dagenham. RM10 8DX. Printed by 1STOP PRINT LIMITED. UK Flag 239 Ilford Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 2SB.

Join us & help make the borough a better place

We have made great strides in Barking & Dagenham despite the Council being forced by the Tory Government to save £135 million just to balance its budget. By 2020 the Government will have halved the amount of money they give us compared to 2010. In the face of Tory austerity, we have attracted millions of pounds and thousands of jobs which will help secure a better future for local families in the coming years. Barking & Dagenham is a great borough – and by voting Labour on Thursday 3rd May, together we can make it even better. Why not join us and be part of the team?