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 parts were almost 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 part of the Thames Gateway, which is an location designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. It covers a total area of 13.93 square miles. As outlined by the 2011 census, the area includes a population of about 198294, the majority of which reside inside the Becontree estate. Much of the housing of the borough was constructed by the London County Council in the course of the interwar period of 1921-1939. Significant settlement of the area, mostly escaping slum conditions in the East End of London, occurred throughout this period when the new motor and chemical industries, such as the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were established. 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 section of the Thames Gateway zone and it is the site of considerable house building and also other development. The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. Barking and Dagenham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. For all your house upgrades, make certain that you utilise trustworthy specialists in Barking and Dagenham to ensure that you get the best quality.