Thames Ward has some of the highest rates of health inequality in the country:
Barking and Dagenham is the 4th highest scoring local authority for Health inequalities in London. According to the 2020 London Poverty index, residents of Barking and Dagenham are almost twice as likely to be income deprived as other Londoners and the borough also has the highest infant mortality rate of all London boroughs.
Residents have noted that in Thames Ward there is a strong drive by public and private sector agencies to invest in health provision but a lack of equivalent organisation for the voluntary and community sector. As a result, health provision and implementation tend to be top-down with consultants being brought in to talk to residents rather than building the capacity for local people to develop their own health projects.
Health & Wellbeing Citizen Action Group members are adamant that resident-led interventions are what the community needs to create long-term change and have begun to make some progress (see below).
Our Health & Wellbeing Citizen Action Group has convened several public meetings, and, based on resident feedback, has identified three priorities for its strategic work:
Build capacity to play a more collective and strategic role and seek out funding to resource future work. Funding is sought for a worker, a forum and a community chest.
Thames Ward has some of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the country and many other measurements of health and wellbeing that need urgent
As a response to the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, several TWCP Resident Steering Group members got together to discuss a community response for their local
Reason to meet: we need to talk more about health, mental health and wellbeing because residents know what their community needs and what works best for
If you live in Barking Riverside, Scrattons Farm or Thames View and want to get involved in resident-led activity with your neighbours then get in touch!
