Politics

Barking and Dagenham Council does not intend to increase the number of councillors ahead of a ward boundary review.

The town hall’s finance chief has described a £2.4million boost to the council’s coronavirus hit coffers as “a drop in the ocean”.

BAME people in Barking and Dagenham are being urged to join the Met in a recruitment drive, as City Hall looks at diversifying the police force.

The town hall could be forced to make cuts of almost £40million over the next four years, a report shows.

A group of MPs has demanded the government continue to provide free travel for young people.

An MP has backed calls to add a Sikh tick box to the 2021 census, amid an ongoing legal battle over the group’s omission.

An investigation that led to more than 60,000 items of fake clothing being recovered helped earn the council’s trading standards team a national award.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a number of measures to boost the ailing economy, including cuts to VAT and stamp duty, alongside bonuses for employers who bring back furloughed workers.

Plans for London’s largest Hollywood-style film studios in Dagenham have been given the go-ahead.

A fly tipper and litterer have been fined after being caught in the act by council officers.

The council has assembled a team of enforcement officers to crackdown on pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and other businesses today (July 4).

The leader of the council has accused the government of kicking commuters in the teeth with fare and congestion charge hikes.

The family of a deceased Windrush scandal victim has been waiting almost two years for compensation.

Academic associations across the country are calling on the government to support “a new deal for higher education” saying a temporary bailout isn’t enough to help them get through the pandemic and beyond.

The number of universal credit claimants rose across east London between April and May, according to the latest figures from the department of work and pensions (DWP).

Town hall chiefs have slammed the government over providing poorer pupils with laptops to help with schoolwork.

Barking and Dagenham’s constituencies have seen 25,600 jobs furloughed, figures show.

Anyone with a spare driveway can be earning hard cash from renting it out to motorists looking for parking spaces after lockdown ends with some households in east London making more than £1,600.

Education chiefs have urged the government to act so that poorer pupils don’t fall further behind over the summer.

Labour politicians from across east London have called for the scrapping of plans to stop free travel for children on public transport in the capital.

A rule change has been made which will allow MPs currently unable to attend parliament to arrange proxy voting, following criticisms of the new system which excluded representatives from Barking and West Ham earlier this week.

The government has been urged to spell out what it is doing to make sure care workers can be tested for Covid-19.

A petition has been launched calling for travel perks for pensioners and under 18s to be fully restored as part of the government’s £1billion bail out of TfL.

A group of MPs — including representatives from Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Havering — have called upon chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend the self-employment income support scheme which is due to end this weekend.

More prohibition notices have been issued to shops breaching the government’s coronavirus guidance in Barking and Dagenham than any other London borough.

New figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that the number of universal credit claimants across east London surged as a coronavirus lockdown became inevitable.

Nearly a quarter of children in working households in Barking live in poverty, a study shows.

The council has estimated it will see a £24million shortfall in its finances this year as it counts the cost of the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of MPs — including representatives from Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge — have called upon the government to protect transport workers, following the revelation that so far 28 London bus drivers have died from Covid-19.

The borough’s political leaders have slammed the government’s roadmap for easing England out of lockdown restrictions.

Former engineering apprentice Elliot Dervish went back to his old college to design a gadget to keep his mum safe while she’s on duty in an NHS hospital during the coronavirus emergency.

The Student View is a charity that teaches young people from The Warren School and Dagenham Park CoE School how to spot misinformation and write real news stories about Barking and Dagenham to encourage them to engage with their communities. This is one of their stories

Follow our live blog for the latest news, announcements and medical advice from across east London, to be brought to you throughout the coronavirus crisis.

A group of MPs and council leaders has written to the health secretary demanding a Covid-19 test centre.

The government has not gone far enough to support vulnerable people and back town halls, councillors have said.

A group of 59 MPs — including representatives from Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge and Havering — have urged Matt Hancock to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for care workers during the coronavirus outbreak.

Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the NHS, saying there is “no question” it saved his life after he contracted coronavirus.

The Home Secretary has kicked off a public awareness campaign to ensure those experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse know of the help on offer.

The council and police continue to crack down on shops that have stayed open during the coronavirus crisis against government orders to close.

Binmen out on the streets collecting household refuse each day have been “overwhelmed” with public support during the lockdown emergency.

Thousands of schoolchildren are at risk of going hungry over the Easter school holidays during the pandemic because they aren’t eligible for the government’s food voucher scheme, it has emerged.

Boris Johnson is on the mend and “sitting up in bed” the chancellor has confirmed.

Boris Johnson is “responding to treatment” in a London hospital as he battles coronavirus, Downing Street has said.

A group of 93 MPs have called upon Royal Mail to offer greater protection for postal workers during the coronavirus pandemic.