Barking and Dagenham should be treated like the north of England because it faces many of the same challenges, the borough’s Labour leader has said.
Cllr Dominic Twomey said he wanted the Prime Minister to visit Barking and Dagenham as part of a planned tour of the UK, arguing the borough shares many of the same ambitions and demographic challenges as parts of Greater Manchester.
He made the comments during a full council meeting on 22 July , responding to a question from Reform UK group leader Cllr Ben Suter.
Cllr Suter asked whether the Prime Minister’s plans to establish a “Number 10 North” office in Manchester risked leaving boroughs such as Barking and Dagenham behind. “Our town has much more in common with northern neighbourhoods and towns,” Cllr Suter said.
He asked what Cllr Twomey would do to ensure Barking and Dagenham “gets the attention it needs and deserves”.
Cllr Twomey said he had already written to the Prime Minister, although he admitted: “I don’t have a hotline to him.”
He agreed that Barking and Dagenham has much in common with several northern metropolitan boroughs. “We’ve consistently said for a number of years that we are that bit of the north in the south,” he said.
“It’s absolutely right that when you align where we are with many other authorities – northern metropolitan boroughs – we do have very similar demographic statistics.”
He said the council would continue lobbying for greater recognition and investment.
However, Cllr Twomey argued Barking and Dagenham could also provide solutions to problems faced elsewhere in the country. “If we can crack the problems here and offer him those innovative solutions then that can be rolled across the north,” he said.
“If you solve it here he can solve it in Oldham, he can solve it in Blackpool, he can solve it in Kirklees – all of those boroughs that have very similar makeup to us.”
He added: “We’re hopeful we can get him into this borough as part of his tour of the UK.”
