I have always fought tooth and nail for Barking and Dagenham to get the bus and train services that residents deserve.

That’s why I’m so pleased, that earlier this month, the number 5 bus route was officially re-directed to Queen’s Hospital. It has taken years of campaigning, signing petitions, lobbying the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and writing to Transport for London, but we finally got there together!

For too long now, residents in Barking and Dagenham have been given a raw deal when it comes to transport and access to health services. It was simply not fair that people had to change buses, and travel for several hours, just to attend a hospital appointment or visit a friend or relative at their local hospital. That’s why it was so important to get this direct bus route for residents.

But there is still much more to do for better transport in our borough.

Sadly, c2c are still refusing to provide the three-minute interval services they promised to Barking residents back in 2014. In fact, only a few months ago they actually cut the number of peak-time services. So far nearly 500 of you have signed my petition calling on c2c to deliver the services they promised to residents. It really is important to show c2c how strongly Barking and Dagenham residents feel about their failed promise so if you haven’t signed it yet, please do add your name at: margaret-hodge.co.uk/c2c-train-petition/. Alternatively, you can request a paper-based version of the petition from my office by emailing margarethodge@hotmail.co.uk or calling 0208 594 1333.