Dagenham Police Station is to remain open and as the borough’s 24-hour station!

This is thanks to a well-fought campaign from the local community, backed by your local MP and Council.

I attended the rally outside the station and the consultation meeting at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club.

I also lobbied at City Hall and was pleased with this part of the decision.

What slightly soured the sense of elation, was the uncertainty which has now been cast over the future of the counter service in Barking Town Centre.

I share the disappointment of Cllr Darren Rodwell and the borough’s MPs that this should be the case.

The Met has to make £400m cuts to make over the next four years but the arguments put forward in the Dagenham campaign apply equally to Barking: the geographical size of the borough, population growth, huge developments and that there are two distinct and unique centres.

The front counter at Barking Learning Centre provides a valuable service as a daytime facility and it should remain open, a campaign to which I will add my weight.

On a more positive note, it was great to see Sadiq Khan visit Dagenham to help unveil the borough’s plans to build a world class film studio at Dagenham East.

The film studio would bring fantastic new projects into the borough, support economic growth and provide jobs for people from across London.