News roundup
Keeping Bexley clean and green
Bexley is committed to making our borough an even cleaner, greener and safer place and we’ve introduced a range of initiatives to achieve this.
The latest investment by the Council of over £115K in a new state-of-the-art cleaning vehicle follows a previous £450k investment by the Council’s street service contractor Countrystyle in four new cutting-edge road cleaning vehicles in 2024. The new multi-function street sweeper can be used for street washing and for weed ripping and clearing snow.
The Council has previously also invested in smartening up over 350 existing litter bins and installing an extra 285 new dual litter/recycling bins at busy locations.
A recent survey carried out by Keep Britain Tidy, an independent environmental charity, comparing the quality of street cleansing in 2024 and 2025, has shown a marked improvement in street cleansing standards with Bexley performing better than the national survey and the London benchmark for litter, flyposting and graffiti. Keeping Bexley clean and green
Bexley is committed to making our borough an even cleaner, greener and safer place and we’ve introduced a range of initiatives to achieve this.
The latest investment by the Council of over £115K in a new state-of-the-art cleaning vehicle follows a previous £450k investment by the Council’s street service contractor Countrystyle in four new cutting-edge road cleaning vehicles in 2024. The new multi-function street sweeper can be used for street washing and for weed ripping and clearing snow.
The Council has previously also invested in smartening up over 350 existing litter bins and installing an extra 285 new dual litter/recycling bins at busy locations.
A recent survey carried out by Keep Britain Tidy, an independent environmental charity, comparing the quality of street cleansing in 2024 and 2025, has shown a marked improvement in street cleansing standards with Bexley performing better than the national survey and the London benchmark for litter, flyposting and graffiti.
Food Recycling Service rolled out to flats
We’ve rolled out our weekly food recycling service to more residential flats including those above shops. 73% of flats in the borough currently have access to a food recycling service thanks to the hard work of our Simpler Recycling Officers who have been going out to flats across the borough.
By the end of March 2026 almost 20,000 more residential flats in Bexley will have been provided with the weekly food waste service with each flat receiving a 23L food waste box, a kitchen caddy and a leaflet showing what can and cannot be recycled— all delivered directly to their door by our Simpler Recycling Officers.
No amount of food recycling is too small with Bexley’s food recycling used to generate energy. Recycling just six teabags generate enough green energy to boil the kettle to make another cuppa.
You can request your free food recycling caddy and find out more about our weekly food recycling service below.
Shaping Bexley’s future together
Earlier this year we consulted residents, businesses and other stakeholders on Bexley’s exciting new emerging Economic Growth Strategy. Once the responses have been considered and appropriate amendments made, the new Economic Growth Strategy for our borough will be formally launched on 23 March at Rose Bruford College.
The new strategy – “Ready for tomorrow, growing for a better future”, sets out how Bexley will deliver inclusive growth and real benefits for local people.
It provides clear outcomes to make a difference to people’s everyday life, sets out a series of themes and principles to maintain fairness, opportunity and resilience and targets ambitious projects to attract investment, new jobs and an improved economy for the London Borough of Bexley.
The Council aims to be at the forefront for inclusive Economic Growth in London and is committed to delivering this outcome.
Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, Cllr Cafer Munur said:
Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say on this important strategy. Bexley stands ready to deliver economic growth and our new Strategy supports the ambitions and aspirations of our Borough to attract new investment and create more jobs. We are well positioned to ensure we have good, sustainable growth in Bexley and look forward to working more closely with partners. Together we’ll be ready for tomorrow and growing for a better future.”
Local Elections
On Thursday 7 May, Bexley residents, aged 18 plus get to vote in the local elections where 45 councillors will be elected across the 17 electoral wards of the borough.
Make sure you don’t miss your chance to vote.
Are you registered?
If you have moved or turned 18, make sure you are registered to vote no later than Monday 20 April. To complete your application, you need your date of birth and national insurance number.
Don’t forget your ID
At your allocated polling station, you will be asked to confirm your name and address, and show your photo ID. This can be: Passport, Driving Licence, Blue Badge, Oyster 60+, Biometric Residence Permit, Freedom Pass or Pass Card (available to purchase from Post Offices).
For more information, including what to do if you don’t have ID visit how to vote.
Postal vote applications
If you would like to vote by post you need to apply by 21 April by 5pm. You can apply for a postal vote online or by post. You’ll be sent a postal vote ballot pack containing a ballot paper and a postal voting statement.
Community Reuse Shop
Bexley’s new Community Reuse Shop is helping residents save money, reduce waste and support local services by giving pre-loved items a second life.
The shop, that will officially open on 6 March, is located at the Footscray Reuse and Recycling Centre. The shop offers a varied and ever-changing selection of donated goods, including furniture, electrical items, bicycles, tools, toys and household accessories. Electrical items for sale include televisions and small appliances, which come with a three-month warranty for added peace of mind.
All items are donated by local residents and carefully checked before being offered for sale. Some pieces may benefit from a little care or creativity, making the shop ideal for families, DIY enthusiasts and anyone interested in upcycling.
By choosing reuse, shoppers are helping to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill while supporting a more sustainable, circular economy within the Borough.
Residents are also encouraged to drop off unwanted but usable items at the dedicated drop-off points at the Footscray and Thames Road Reuse and Recycling Centres. Dropping off at these points helps ensure items are reused wherever possible, rather than recycled or disposed of.
Proceeds from the Community Reuse Shop contribute towards its running costs, with any surplus funds supporting essential council services that benefit the wider community.
The shop is open to residents and non-residents alike and welcomes everyone to take part in reuse.
Opening times: 9am to 4pm, Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Bright future for Sidcup’s cinema
Following the reopening of Sidcup’s cinema the Council is delighted to see the venue thriving once again as a vibrant cultural hub for the community. Audience numbers have grown week on week since reopening with good attendance across a wide range of films and events.
Castle Cinema, who currently operate a similar successful independent community-driven cinema in Hackney, are the new team running the cinema and café that will be known as the Castle Sidcup. The building that the cinema, café and library are housed in will continue to be known as the Storyteller building.
The cinema is open 9.30am until 11pm daily and is continuing to expand its programme with the introduction of regular specialist and inclusive screenings such as parent and baby showings, silver screen performances for older audiences and accessible screenings including hard-of-hearing and subtitled sessions.
Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, Cllr Cafer Munur said:
It’s great to see this much-loved community asset back in use. There is an exciting future ahead for the Cinema and the Council would like to thank residents for their continued support. We look forward to seeing the cinema go from strength to strength as a much-loved cultural venue at the heart of Sidcup”.