The Council
45 councillors represent the London Borough of Bexley; each of the Borough’s 17 Wards has two or three councillors.
Executive Arrangements
The Leader has delegated powers to determine the number and scope of Cabinet portfolios, including those of the Leader and Deputy Leader, and to make appointments to the Cabinet. Councillor Leaf has indicated that, if elected as Leader of the Council, the Cabinet appointments will be as below.
Structure
The Council has a Leader and Cabinet model of governance, the Cabinet consists of the Leader of the Council together with six other Cabinet Members.
These are currently as follows:
- Councillor David Leaf - Leader of the Council/Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation
- Councillor Melvin Seymour - Deputy Leader of the Council/Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services and Health
- Councillor Brian Bishop – Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing
- Councillor Richard Diment - Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods
- Councillor Cafer Munur - Cabinet Member for Place Shaping
- Councillor Caroline Newton, Cabinet Member for Education and Corporate Services
- Councillor Chris Taylor – Cabinet Member for Children and Families
Details of the responsibilities of the Cabinet Members
Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation
- Corporate Policy and Resource Plan
- Annual Budget
- Capital Strategy and Programme
- Medium Term Financial Strategy
- Corporate Governance including Council Constitution
- Annual Planning Cycle including Budget, Performance and Service Outcomes
- Corporate Issues re Government, LGA, Thames Gateway, Local London and Regional Bodies
- Housing Strategy (with Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing)
- Communications and Marketing
- Bexley 2050 (with Cabinet Member for Place Shaping)
- Value for Money/Economy, Effectiveness and Efficiency
- Service Design, Transformation and Change Programmes (with Cabinet Member for Education & Corporate Services)
- Asset Management Strategy (with Cabinet Member for Place Shaping)
- Corporate Planning and Performance Framework
- Corporate Financial Administration
- External Funding
- Strategic Procurement
- Financial Eligibility Assessments
- Council Tax and Business Rates Collection and Benefits Administration
- Corporate Services Budget and Development Plan
- Management and Maintenance of Public Buildings
- Civic Accommodation, Facilities Management and Building Services
- Civil Protection and Emergency Plans
- Risk Management Strategy and Corporate Risk Management
- Grants to Voluntary and other Bodies
- People Strategy including Policy
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services and Health
- Lead Member for Adults’ Services
- Prevention Strategy
- Adult Social Care Workforce Plan
- Ageing Well Strategy incorporating Dementia
- Adult Social Care Transformation Programme
- Learning Disability Strategy
- Mental Health Strategy
- Extra Care Housing
- Development of Bexley Care
- Adult Social Care Transport
- Local Health and Social Care Integration – Local Care Network
- Transfer of Care Collaborative
- Liaison with Voluntary Sector for Adult Social Care
- Development of Digital Assistive Technology
- Professional Workforce Development and Standards
- Safeguarding Adults at Risk and Care Quality
- Reablement and Independence
- Information, Advice and Guidance
- Transitions to Adults’ Social Care/Preparing for Adulthood
- Carers
- Disability and Sensory Impairment Services
- Public Health
- Local Delivery Plan for Health
- Social Care and Market Shaping and Development
- Community Care
- Drug and Alcohol Services
- Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy
- Adult Social Care Vison Statement
- Adult Autism Strategy and Action Plan
Place Shaping
- Borough Regeneration Strategy
- Borough Housing and Investment Strategy
- Supporting/Deputising for the Leader on Local London
- Regeneration Partnerships
- Local Plan and Local Development Framework issues
- Economic and Employment Development Strategy
- Major Development Schemes
- Planning Briefs and Development Agreements
- Town Centre Management including Shopping Centres
- Land Acquisition and Disposal Programmes
- Land Management in particular the Council’s Non-Operational Land
- Developing and Monitoring Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal Policies
- Policies Relating to Affordable Housing and Sustainable Housing Strategy
- Housing Investment Programme and Strategy
- Housing Corporation Approved Development Plan
- Skills and Growth
- Strategic/Regional Transport
- Building Control
- Bexley Business and Employment
- Events Programme
- Tourism
- Cultural Services and Development including Heritage and Arts
- Housing Strategy (with Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation and Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing)
- Asset Management Strategy (with Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation)
- Bexley 2050 (with Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation)
Neighbourhoods
- Planning enforcement matters not within remit of Planning Committee
- Highway Maintenance
- Improvement and Maintenance of Highway and Drainage Infrastructure
- Local Transport Issues
- Road Safety Plan
- Public Transport Liaison
- Traffic Management and Parking Schemes
- Licensing
- Local Safety Schemes
- Car Parking and Parking Enforcement
- Road Safety Promotion and Implementation
- Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan
- Climate Change and Green Infrastructure Plan
- Waste Management and Recycling
- Unauthorised Incursions by Travellers
- Engineering and Construction Related Services
- Home Energy Conservation
- Environmental Sustainability
- Management and Development of Parks, Open Spaces, Allotments and Cemeteries
- Environmental Health Standards
- Environmental Trading Standards
- Environmental Health and Safety
- Food Safety
- Leisure Development and Sports Strategy
- Sports and Recreation
- Management and Development of Leisure Facilities
Children and Families
- Lead Member for Children’s Services
- Corporate Parenting Lead
- Liaison with Voluntary Sector for Children’s Services
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Early Intervention Services for Children
- Children and Young People’s Vision and Improvement Plan
- Service Based Health Related Matters
- Joint Planning with Other Agencies
- Services for Care Leavers
- Children’s Social Care
- Youth Services
- Adoption and Fostering
- Child Protection
- Local Safeguarding Children’s Partnership
- Children with Disability Services
- Family Wellbeing and Children’s Centres
- Youth Justice Service
- Commissioned Youth Delivery
- Family and Parenting Services
- Transition to Adulthood (Children with Disability and Looked After Children)
- Family Hubs
- Family First Partnership
Education and Corporate Services
- School Standard and Improvement
- Special Educational Needs and Disability Strategy and Services
- SEN Travel Assistance
- Attendance and Behaviour
- Bexley Selection Test and Coordination of School Admissions
- School Place Planning
- Strategic Education Partnership
- Schools Forum
- Headteacher Liaison
- Early Years
- Wrap around Child Care
- 14 to 19 Provision
- Holiday Activities and Food Programme/Free School Meals
- Links with South East London College
- Learning and Enterprise College Bexley
- Maintained School Maintenance
- Traded Services to Schools
- Appointment of LA Governors
- Secular Curriculum, RE and Worship
- ICT and Digital Strategy and Plans
- Customer Experience Strategy and Standards
- Access to Services, Quality, Consultation, and Complaints
- Electoral Registration and Elections
- Information Governance and Data Protection
- Registrars
- Legal Department
- Service Design, Transformation and Change Programmes (with Cabinet Member Resources and Transformation)
- Financial Services (with Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation)
Communities and Housing
- Community Safety Partnership Strategy including CCTV and Associated Work Plan
- Housing Allocations
- Services for Homeless Families
- Housing Aid and Advice
- Enforcement of Housing Standards
- Former Housing Stock Contracts
- Housing Strategy (with Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation)
- Library services, Strategy and Implementation Plan including Local Studies
- Community Centres
- Community Strategy
- Community Participation
- Improving Public Involvement
- Public, Private and Voluntary Sector Coordinated Responses
- Corporate Liaison with Voluntary Sector
- Encouraging Community Networks and Support Systems
- Community Cohesion Policies
- Equality and Inclusion Policy and Annual Action Plan
- Services to Travellers and Management of Service Delivery
- Alcohol and Borough Licensing Strategy (as part of Shared Service with Sevenoaks)
- Channel Panel**
**Channel Panel is a statutory multi-agency programme which identifies and supports at risk individuals. Having identified an individual at risk of radicalisation, the Channel Panel, chaired by the Local Authority, will assess the nature and extent of the risk, and subsequently develop the most appropriate support plan for the individual concerned to reduce the risk and safeguard them.
Council Committees and Meetings
Regulatory Committees such as the Planning Committee and Licensing Committee take decisions that are legally outside of the remit of the Cabinet.
Overview and Scrutiny Committees hold the Cabinet to account and look into specific topics in order to make recommendations.
The full Council, all 45 Councillors sitting together, take overarching strategic decisions that are outside of the remit of the Cabinet and Regulatory Committees.
Council Constitution
The Council’s Constitution and Code of Corporate Governance sets out in detail how the Council operates.
Get involved
Find out how to get involved in the Council’s decision-making.