Both Labour and Reform UK group leaders at Barking Town Hall agree the borough has similarities to impoverished towns in northern England, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
Andy Burnham should treat Barking and Dagenham as if it’s the north of England, the council’s Labour leader has said.
Dominic Twomey said he wanted the new Labour prime minister to visit the borough “as part of his tour of the UK”.
He said this would show Burnham “we are exactly the sort of place with the same ambitions that he had in Greater Manchester”.
Cllr Twomey was responding to a question from Reform UK councillor Ben Suter at a full council meeting yesterday (Wednesday 22nd).
Cllr Suter, the opposition group leader at the town hall, asked whether Burnham’s plan to open up a branch of the prime minister’s office – ‘Number 10 North’ – in Manchester, meant boroughs such as Barking and Dagenham are “at threat”.
“Our town has much more in common with northern neighbourhoods and towns,” said Cllr Suter.
“Towns like Barking and Dagenham – are they at threat by this move to move our capital up north?”
He asked what Labour council leader Dominic Twomey would do “to lobby the new prime minister and ensure Barking and Dagenham gets the attention it needs and deserves”.
Cllr Twomey said he had already written to Burnham – although he admitted “I don’t have a hotline to him”.
He agreed that Barking and Dagenham bore similarities to some areas in the north of England.
Cllr Twomey said: “We’ve consistently said for a number of years that we are that bit of the north in the south.
“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 added: “We will do what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years. We will continue to lobby.”
However, Cllr Twomey also said the council could give Burnham “solutions to the problems”.
He said: “If we can crack the problems here and offer him those innovative solutions then that can be rolled across the north.
“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.”
The council leader added: “We’re hopeful we can get him into this borough as part of his tour of the UK.”
