We are investing millions of pounds in frontline services, despite unprecedented financial pressures and impending cuts in funding from central government.

Last month’s Public Cabinet meeting heard how years of effective financial management, innovation and transformation meant the Council could invest in frontline services. This was despite Government changes to the funding system for local government, which will reduce Bexley’s share of national funding and cut the grants we are due to receive over the next three years.

At the meeting, Councillor David Leaf, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation, presented the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for Bexley for 2026 to 2027 to 2029 to 2030. Here he sets out the impact of the strategy for residents:

Clean and green borough

• We’re providing new investments for our fantastic parks and over £2.5m to improve local playgrounds.
• We’ll take action to keep our streets clean by continuing to fine and prosecute fly-tippers and litter louts, maintain and improve our already high recycling rates and continue our record of collecting over 99.9% of doorstep bins on time.

Investing in roads and repairing potholes

• We’re investing £30m of funding over the next 4 years for our roads and pavements.
• We’re providing funding for hundreds of roads to be resurfaced and restructured and thousands of potholes repaired.

Keeping Bexley safe

• We’ve invested in a modern new CCTV system, which will help to fight crime and tackle anti-social behaviour.
• We’ll keep providing support for hundreds of victims of domestic abuse each year and protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Building and protecting family homes

• We’ll deliver hundreds of new homes through BexleyCo and thousands more local homes for local families by working with responsible developers.
• We’ll invest in resources to protect our green spaces from the Government’s and Mayor of London’s plans to destroy them, and to oppose HMOs that harm local communities.

Promoting businesses and jobs

• We’ll continue to support hundreds of residents into jobs and training each year.
• We’re providing a package of support for local businesses and town centres and will implement a new Economic Growth Strategy to ensure that Bexley is open for business.

Supporting families

• We’ll continue to invest in adult social care services supporting over 8,900 adults a year with care needs, provide more support for children with disabilities, fund the development of new family hubs, and continue to help prevent homelessness.
• We’ll provide funding for school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Proud borough and strong communities

• We’re ensuring that we can celebrate what makes our Borough and country great and will work with partners to implement a new Cultural Strategy to continue to Celebrate Bexley.
• We’re putting more money in to improve our community facilities with £2m more for our libraries and £1m more for community centres.

Efficient Council delivering value for money

• We’ll continue to ensure that Bexley keeps costs down, with a clear plan to innovate and transform services for the better.
• Bexley is already rated as one of the most efficient and lowest cost councils in the country, and we’ll continue to work to ensure that our residents get value for money.

Cllr Leaf said:

Bexley is a great Borough to live, work and raise a family and our budget plans put more resources into local services. This will include funding to improve our roads and pavements, parks and playgrounds, libraries and community centres, as well as more funding for social care services so we can support the most vulnerable in our Borough. The investments that we are going to make in key frontline services that residents use, need and rely on will continue to make Bexley even better. We can make these decisions to invest more into services because we are a lean and efficient Council, with a clear plan to transform services and innovate. While other councils are cutting back, we are investing in services because of our strong track record of good financial management and living within our means. This is despite the Government changing the funding system, leaving Bexley worse off as our share of national funding falls. The Government has let Bexley down, but we are on the side of our residents.”

The budget and the Council Tax for 2026 to 2027 will be formalised at the Council meeting on 4 March.

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