Issues and SWOT

strength

Make the completed school a neighbourhood asset

Greatfields has classrooms, a library and sports facilities in the Gascoigne neighbourhood.

Proposed response: Agree practical community access with the school.

Evidence

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

4.9% of people reported bad or very bad health in Barking and Dagenham council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Barking Riverside to 6.1% in Parsloes — a gap of 2.7 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

weakness

Homes need services at the same time

The Thames Road plan includes housing, industry and social infrastructure, but adoption alone supplies none of them.

Proposed response: Publish the facilities needed for each housing phase.

Evidence

weakness

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,698 a month (August 2026) in Barking and Dagenham council area. This is £239 higher than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 15.8% in Eastbrook & Rush Green to 53.3% in Abbey — a gap of 37.5 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

opportunity

Keep employment space in the housing plans

Thames Road combines new homes with better industrial space.

Proposed response: Protect the practical needs of existing and new employers.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

8.7% of people in Barking and Dagenham council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 3.5% in Barking Riverside to 13.9% in Eastbrook & Rush Green — a gap of 10.4 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

33.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Barking and Dagenham council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 15.9% in Barking Riverside to 25.5% in Valence — a gap of 9.6 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Barking and Dagenham council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 19.4% in Whalebone to 29.5% in Parsloes — a gap of 10.1 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Maintain the restored brook as the area changes

Mayesbrook already combines watercourse restoration with everyday recreation.

Proposed response: Keep drainage and habitat maintenance part of its long-term management.

Evidence