The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London, England. It lies about 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. The borough was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 as the London Borough of Barking. The constituent areas were virtually all of the Municipal Borough of Barking plus the largest part of the Municipal Borough of Dagenham, the former location of which was transferred to Greater London from Essex. It is an Outer London borough and the south is inside the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway, which is an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. It covers a total area of 13.93 square miles. According to the 2011 census, the area includes a population of around 198294, the majority of which reside within the Becontree estate. Much of the housing within the borough was constructed by the London County Council throughout the interwar period of 1921-1939. Significant settlement of the location, mostly escaping slum conditions inside the East End of London, occurred throughout this era when the new motor and chemical industries, such as the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were set up. Since the decline of these industries in the 1980s, employment has shifted more towards service sector jobs. A lot of the borough is within the London Riverside area of the Thames Gateway zone and it is the site of considerable property developing as well as other development. The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. Barking and Dagenham was 1 of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. For all your house upgrades, make sure that you use trustworthy professionals in Barking and Dagenham to make sure that you get the very best quality.