Councillor Twomey is Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council and Cabinet Member for People, Place, & Partnerships, overseeing the council’s core missions.
Councillor Dominic Twomey has been Leader of the Council since September 2024. Prior to that he was the Deputy Leader, and he was Cabinet Member for Finance from 2014 to May 2026. He is a Councillor for Eastbury Ward and has previously represented Gascoigne Ward. He was first elected to the council in 2010 having campaigned with the Rt Hon Baroness Margaret Hodge to defeat the BNP.
Councillor Twomey represents the borough regionally and nationally, leading engagement with strategic partners including trade unions and universities and lobbying for long-term investment via the Thames Freeport, Local London, London Councils, the Mayor of London, and Government.
As Leader of the Council, Councillor Twomey has campaigned to secure fair funding for the borough and has focused on the drivers of long-term inequalities through the delivery of local services such as health in partnership with statutory and voluntary sector partners.
Since Councillor Twomey has been Leader of the Council the borough passed its very first Anti-Poverty Strategy, the council’s Adult Social Care Service was rated “outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission, and the council has secured a partnership with Queen Mary University of London to provide a brand new £5.8m dental school that will train the next generation of dentists as well as provide 5,000 free dental appointments every year for local people.
Councillor Twomey is also lead member for regeneration and is responsible for the delivery of affordable homes in the borough and promoting balanced communities with public spaces that strengthen the connection between people and place. As part of this, Councillor Twomey is responsible for planning, transport, and infrastructure and provides strategic direction for Be First, the Council’s wholly owned regeneration company.
Councillor Twomey has extensive experience in welfare rights advocacy gained from working in local government and the voluntary sector as well as the Department for Work and Pensions.