Our Culture:
A Cultural Strategy for the London Borough of Bexley 2003-2008

 
The Council undertook a two-year cross-cutting Best Value Review of Cultural and Outdoor Services in 2001/02 and 2002/03. This Review, which included a review of Culture in Bexley, was agreed by the Council in May 2003. A copy of the Best Value Review of Cultural and Outdoor Services (135KB, pdf file), including the five year action plan from the review is now available.

The Council has since produced a Cultural Strategy for the Borough, which was adopted by the Council on 6 November 2002. The Cultural Strategy, as laid out on these webpages, is to be implemented through five one year action plans. A copy of the Cultural Strategy and the first one-year Action plan are available in the Downloads section below.

 
Introduction

This is a Cultural Strategy for the London Borough of Bexley. The word "culture" is used in its broadest sense. It covers the multitude of things we do in our leisure time and also the "culture" of the Borough - its architecture and heritage; its ethnic and geographical diversity; the Borough's image and what it stands for.

It is about improving the quality of life and well being of Bexley's residents, workers and visitors through the provision and development of cultural activities, events and facilities and by helping to achieve other quality of life goals such as providing life long learning opportunities, improving health, stimulating economic development and helping to improve safety in our communities.

The vision, values, policies and strategic priorities of the Cultural Strategy will provide an overarching framework, with each part e.g. sports, arts, tourism developing its own strategy with specific work plans focussing on operational matters, individual initiatives and detailed outputs, outcomes and targets.

The Cultural Strategy will cover the five years from 2003 to 2008. It will provide a distinctive vision for the development of cultural activities, facilities and services to help all providers across the borough, and to co-ordinate the work of the many agencies and partners who are directly or indirectly involved in cultural provision.

Bexley Council has initiated this Strategy but its implementation will require the co-operation and partnership of many people, organisations and groups in the public, voluntary and commercial sectors. It is a Cultural Strategy for the Borough, and not a service plan for the Council.

The Strategy is in three sections:

• Setting the Scene - looking at what makes Bexley unique, its culture, the framework within which culture has been developed, and the importance of culture to the life of the Borough;
• The Cultural Vision for Bexley - 3 key aims on which the development of culture in the Borough and its contribution to wider Borough goals are founded;
• Making it Happen - the partnerships and actions for achieving the Strategy's vision.

On this site, you can view summaries of each of the above sections by clicking on its name. You can also see a page showing the Headline Key Actions from the Strategy.

 
Downloads

You may also wish to download one of the documents below:

• The full 44-page Cultural Strategy (PDF file, 728kB)
• First One-Year Action Plan (PDF file, 206kB)
• Second Year Action Plan (PDF file, 347kB)
• Third Year Action Plan (PDF file, 215kB)

If you have any problems using these PDFs and would prefer printed copies of these documents, please contact us on 020 8294 6963.

Setting the Scene »