The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London, England. It lies around 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 almost all of the Municipal Borough of Barking and the greater part of the Municipal Borough of Dagenham, the former location of which was transferred to Greater London from Essex. It's an Outer London borough and the south is within 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.
In accordance with the 2011 census, the area has a population of about 198294, the majority of which reside within the Becontree estate. Significant settlement of the area, mostly escaping slum conditions inside the East End of London, occurred through the period when the new motor and chemical industries, including the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were established. Since the decline of these industries during the 1980s, employment has shifted more towards service sector jobs.
Much of the borough is within the London Riverside area of the Thames Gateway zone and it's the site of considerable property developing along with other improvement. The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council.