The Council
45 councillors represent the London Borough of Bexley; each of the Borough’s 17 Wards has two or three councillors.
Structure
The Council has a Leader and Cabinet model of governance, the Cabinet consists of the Leader of the Council together with seven other Cabinet Members.
These are currently as follows:
- Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE - Leader of the Council
- Councillor David Leaf - Deputy Leader of the Council/Cabinet Member for Resources
- Councillor Peter Craske - Cabinet Member for Places
- Councillor Richard Diment - Cabinet Member for Education
- Councillor Sue Gower MBE - Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing
- Councillor Cafer Munur - Cabinet Member for Growth
- Councillor Philip Read - Cabinet Member for Children's Services
- Councillor Melvin Seymour - Cabinet Member for Adults' Services & Health
Details of the responsibilities of the Cabinet Members
Leader
- Corporate Policy and Resource Plan
- Annual Budget
- Capital Strategy and Programme
- Medium Term Financial Strategy
- Corporate Governance
- Bexley Business Process
- Corporate issues re Government, Europe, GLA, Thames Gateway and regional bodies
- Housing strategy
Growth
- Borough regeneration strategy
- Borough housing and investment strategy
- Supporting/deputising for the Leader on Local London
- Regeneration partnerships
- Unitary Development Plan and Local Development Framework issues
- Economic and employment development Strategy
- Major development schemes
- Planning briefs and development agreements
- Town centre management
- 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
- Land Charges
- Skills and growth
- Strategic/Regional Transport
Places
- Planning enforcement matters not within the remit of the 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
- Municipal waste strategy
- Environmental strategy
- Strategies on trees and woodlands
- 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
- Annual library plan
- Arts strategy and arts development plan
- Public libraries, museums, art galleries and local studies
- Management and development of leisure facilities
- Events programme
- Tourism
- Cultural services strategy and development
- Heritage Sites
Education
- School Governance
- School standards
- Co-ordination of school admissions
- Secular curriculum, RE and worship
- Education support services to schools
- School meals service
- Planning of School Places
- Support for pupils and parents
- School improvement
- Extended services
- Head teacher liaison
- Schools Forum
- Attendance and behaviour strategy
- Special Educational Needs
- 14-19 provision
- Appointment of LA Governors
- Lifelong learning
- Adult learning and skills
- Links with South East London Colleges
- Resources Plus
- Early years
- Strategic partnership for education
Resources
- Value for Money
- Service Design, Transformation and Change Programmes
- ICT Strategy and Plans
- Customer Service Strategy and Standards
- Human Resources Policy Implementation
- Asset Management Strategy
- Corporate Planning and Performance Framework
- Access to Services, quality, consultation and complaints
- Communications
- Constitutional and Organisational Issues
- Corporate Financial Administration
- External Funding
- Commissioning Strategy
- Strategic Procurement
- Financial Eligibility Assessments
- Council Tax collection and benefits administration
- Corporate services budget and development plan
- Management and maintenance of public buildings
- Civic accommodation, FM and building services
- Electoral registration and elections
- Civil protection and emergency plans
- Corporate risk management
- Grants to voluntary and other bodies
- Information Governance and Data Protection
Children's Services
- Lead Member for Children’s Services
- Corporate Parenting Lead
- Liaison with the 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
- Children’s Safety Partnership
- Disabled Children’s Services
- Family wellbeing and children’s centres
- Youth Offending Team
- Commissioned Youth delivery
- Family and parenting services
- Transitions to Adulthood (children with a disability and looked after children)
- Skills delivery
Communities and Housing
- Diversity and Equality audits
- Encouraging community networks and support systems
- Community cohesion policies
- Improving public involvement
- Public, private and voluntary sector coordinated responses
- Corporate liaison with the voluntary sector
- Community Strategy
- Community participation
- Local Delivery Plan for Health
- Community Care
- Drug and Alcohol services
- Housing Allocations
- Services for Homeless Families
- Housing Aid and Advice
- Enforcement of Housing Standards
- Former Housing Stock Contracts
- Empty Property Strategy
- Community Centres
- CCTV
- Community Safety
- Alcohol and Borough Licensing Strategy
- Services to Travellers and management of service delivery
Adults' Services
- Lead Member for Adult’s Services
- Prevention and Early Intervention
- Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
- 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 Networks
- Transfer of Care Collaborative
- Liaison with the voluntary sector for Adult Social Care
- Development of Digital and Assistive Technology
- Professional workforce development and standards
- Safeguarding adults at risk and care quality
- Reablement and independence
- Integrated Commissioning Strategy
- Information. Advice and guidance
- Transitions to Adults Social Care
- Carers
- Disability and sensory impairment services
- Public Health
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.
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