Barking and Dagenham residents: 'We feel forgotten'

Anti-social behaviour around railway stations is one of the issues residents have brought up

On the edge of east London lies Dagenham and Rainham, a constituency where local people tell me they feel “forgotten” by politicians.

It’s difficult to find anyone outside Dagenham East station who will tell me that they have decided who to vote for yet, if at all.

Nick, who was waiting for a friend, told me “nothing works” here.

He explained: “Public transport, hospitals, anything that we use really needs to be improved. Public transport is slow and there are delays.

“Sometimes we get a little bit forgotten, I feel.”

This is a constituency that has been held by the Labour Party in one form or another since its creation.

But last time around, in 2019, Labour came very close to losing this seat.

The party held on with a majority of just 293 votes over the Conservatives. That was in an election dominated by Brexit and in a constituency where more than 70% of people voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

Nick says "nothing works" here

This time around other factors are playing on the minds of voters, in particular the cost of living.

Chris, who used to be an apprentice in the 1970s, told me he might not vote all. He said things were tougher now.

He said: “It’s things like schooling for kids, lack of money in virtually every area of normal life, particularly for the working people and even people on middle incomes.”

Karen, who was on her way to work, told me that “people are struggling” financially.

She said she was not sure who to vote for on 4 July, as she did not trust any politicians to fix the economic problems people face.

Chris said he may not vote at all

She said: “I can't see anything in any of them, really, that is convincing me. They make promises. They don't fulfil them. I think the best thing would be to wipe them all out and start again.”

The former Labour MP here, Jon Cruddas, has decided to step down after 23 years.

His former office manager, Margaret Mullane, who is a Labour councillor at Barking and Dagenham Council and grew up in the constituency, is vying to become his successor.

Resident Karen says people are struggling

Ms Mullane told me that the cost of housing was a bigger issue in the outer London constituency now than in the past, due to local people having some of the lowest wages in London.

“Jobs are coming,” she told me, in reference to the development of the Dagenham Film Studios and the move to Dagenham Dock of some of London’s biggest wholesale meat and fish markets.

She also told me another key issue was crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly around railway stations, where she has been campaigning for more community police officers.

Violent crime has been on the rise in the borough

Violent crime is an issue here. Across London, knife crime rose by about 20% in the year to December, and Dagenham has seen recent stabbings and even a shooting.

It is an issue the Conservative candidate Sam Holland has been vocal about.

An investment manager who grew up in the area, he is now living in neighbouring Thurrock and says that knife crime is a worry to the people he has spoken to.

On housing, he said the area needed more homes but he warned against “overdevelopment”.

He said: “You need quality housing. Not just high-rise flats. Too much building adds to pressures on local services.”

The other candidates standing for election in Dagenham and Rainham on 4 July are Kim Arrowsmith for the Green Party, Liberal Democrat Francesca Flack, Kevin Godfrey for Reform UK and Independent candidate Terence London.