Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council

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Barking and Dagenham Council
Coat of arms
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1965
Leadership
Donna Lumsden,
Labour
since 19 May 2023[1]
Darren Rodwell,
Labour
since 12 June 2014[2]
Fiona Taylor
since April 2022[3]
Structure
Seats51 councillors
Political groups
Administration (50)
  Labour (50)
Other parties (1)
  Independent (1)
Joint committees
East London Waste Authority
Thames Chase Joint Committee
Thames Gateway London Partnership
London Councils
Elections
Plurality
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Town Hall, 1 Town Square, Barking, IG11 7LU
Website
www.lbbd.gov.uk
Constitution
The Council Constitution

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, also known as Barking and Dagenham Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since its creation in 1965. It is based at Barking Town Hall in the centre of Barking.

History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Barking and Dagenham area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Barking on 1 April 1965. Barking replaced Barking Borough Council and Dagenham Borough Council. Both were previously Urban District Councils, with Barking Town Urban District Council replaced by Barking Borough Council in 1931, and Dagenham Urban District Council replaced by Dagenham Borough Council in 1938. As Barking had urbanised first, it was governed by a local board of health from 1882, which became an urban district council in 1894. The parish of Dagenham was under rural administration until 1926, governed by Dagenham Parish Council and the Romford Rural District Council from 1894.[4]

It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Barking and Dagenham as a London local authority would share power with the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council it has been an education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[5]

Governance

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.[6] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[7]

Political control

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Labour have held a majority of the seats on the council since its creation.[8][9][10][11]

Party in control Years
Labour 1965–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Barking and Dagenham. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[12][13]

Councillor Party From To
Ted Ball Labour 1965 1972
Joe Butler Labour 1972 1986
George Brooker Labour 1986 1998
Charles Fairbrass Labour 1998 13 May 2009
Liam Smith Labour 13 May 2009 12 Jun 2014
Darren Rodwell Labour 12 Jun 2014

Composition

Following the 2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in December 2022, the composition of the council was:[14][15]

Party Councillors
Labour 50
Independent 1
Total 51

The next election is due in 2026.

Premises

The council is based at Barking Town Hall in Town Square.[16] The building was purpose-built for the old Barking Borough Council and was completed in 1958.[17]

Elections

See also: Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 51 councillors representing 19 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2023". Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Council minutes, 12 June 2014". Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Fiona Taylor appointed as Chief Executive at Barking and Dagenham Council". Barking and Dagenham Council. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  4. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  5. ^ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  6. ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ "London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Election Results 1964-2010" (PDF). Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  10. ^ "London Borough Council Elections 23 May 2014" (PDF). London Datastore. London Residuary Body. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  11. ^ "London Borough Council Elections 3 May 2018" (PDF). London Datastore. London Residuary Body. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Council minutes". Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  13. ^ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Election results by wards". London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  15. ^ Boothroyd, David (16 December 2022). "When in Rome, do as the Andoverians do". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Contact us". Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  17. ^ Howard, Vic. "A Town Hall Mystery". Barking and District Historical Society. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  18. ^ "The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2021/1, retrieved 30 April 2024
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