Improving our borough
Playtime is back at Foots Cray Meadows
The much-loved playground at Foots Cray Meadows has been refurbished and is ready for children to enjoy once again.
Following fire damage and vandalism, the Council has transformed the space into a vibrant, modern play area packed with a fantastic range of brand-new, inclusive equipment for all ages and abilities, including an aerial roundabout with inclusive seats, multi-play units, a basket swing, a musical totem, a zig-zag twister and a communication board to support non-verbal communication.
Funded by your Council budget
This refurbishment is fully funded by the Council as part of a committed £2.5 million investment to refurbish and upgrade playgrounds across the Borough.
The funding forms a key part of the Council’s agreed budget and reflects its priorities.
Councillor Rags Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Leisure, said:
We want to ensure children and families always have access to safe, inclusive and enjoyable places to get outdoors. That’s why we’ve committed to investing £2.5 million in refurbishing and upgrading the Borough’s playgrounds.”
Have your say on future upgrades
As playground improvements progress across Bexley, the Council wants residents to help shape future upgrades. Public consultations have already been held for four playgrounds; The Dell, Crayford, Parish Wood, Sidcup and West Heath Recreation Ground and Russell Park in Bexleyheath.
Keep an eye on the Council’s social media accounts and website for upcoming surveys regarding your local playground and make sure you have your say.
What happens after you report a pothole
Pothole reporting and response
- Resident reports a pothole
- Technical inspection carried out
Assessment
The inspection leads to one of three outcomes:
- Safety risk: made safe within 1 hour
- Repair needed, not a safety risk: treatment within 90 days
- Does not meet intervention threshold: no action needed at this time
- Resident updated within 5 days of inspection findings
The Council is responsible for maintaining a public highway network that includes over 354 miles of roads. Every year our Highways Team repairs on average more than 2,500 individual potholes reported within this network. Each pothole reported is assessed by our Highways Team and prioritised.
Please continue to report any highway issues using FixMyStreet
Investing in Bexley’s roads
The completion of maintenance works to resurface Lovel Avenue recently marked the end of the twenty-fifth road improvement project that our Highways Team has undertaken this year, with five major projects being completed across the Borough in September alone, as part of the Council’s £30 million investment over the next four years to improve Bexley’s roads.
You can see which further roads are scheduled for improvement works this year, as well as those already completed at highways report 2026
Who digs up our roads?
As well as the Council carrying out works to fix small pothole and other highway repairs on our roads, the independent utility companies make up nearly 55% of works undertaken in Bexley.
Over 200 independent utility organisations and private companies can legally access Bexley’s highway network to install or maintain vital infrastructure and rising demand, fixing aging pipes and broadband rollouts have driven an increase in street excavations.
The frustrating part is that these different utility companies mostly have their infrastructure underground, so a road can be dug up repeatedly. In Bexley, this is especially noticeable with fibre broadband installation and ageing water and gas infrastructure.
Our Highways Team do their best to coordinate works, but that’s not always practical, as utility companies’ emergency repairs for water and gas leaks allow for no prior notice to the Council and residents. The law requires that in these situations the Council only needs to be notified within two hours after the emergency works have started or by 10am on the next working day. These emergency works can take some time to resolve and impact on all the co-ordination of works that have been put in place before the emergency occurred.
Councillor Cameron Smith, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth & Infrastructure, said:
Residents deserve roads that are well maintained and disruption kept to a minimum. While many roadworks are carried out by utility companies, the Council will continue to push for better coordination to reduce repeated excavations and minimise inconvenience for our communities.”
Enforcement success
The Council’s crackdown on fly-tipping continues with tough enforcement action being taken by our Enforcement Team daily. In the past few months more than 40 fixed penalty notices have been issued for fly-tipping throughout the Borough, some of these for £1,000.
It’s not just fly-tipping that we are cracking down on. We have introduced more patrols and higher fines for littering and this has had a significant impact with over 1,000 fixed penalty notices issued between July and September this year for litter offences. We have also issued more than 40 notices in relation to suspected abandoned vehicles, and we have a team who patrol the Borough five days a week proactively removing visible graffiti Borough-wide. We also respond to resident graffiti reports with 103 graffiti incidents removed following direct reports to the Council.
Councillor Rags Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Leisure said:
We have always been clear that we have zero tolerance when it comes to offences such as littering and fly-tipping and that those caught doing this can expect to be fined and prosecuted. We will continue to use our enforcement powers where necessary to deter offenders and to protect Bexley’s local communities.”
Food waste recycling increases by 29%
Figures for food waste recycling in our Borough show an increase of 29% in July 2026 in comparison to the same period last year. Food Box orders also increased from on average 550 per month to 3,348 in June and 1,737 in July.
Latest data for the autumn period indicates that the increase in food waste recycling that started in the summer has continued with the amount of food recycled in Bexley estimated to increase by 1,000 tonnes by the end of the financial year, that’s equivalent to the weight of approximately 500 small cars. If this upward trend continues this will save Council taxpayers approximately £800,000 in annual waste disposal costs for the whole of 26/27 as it is cheaper to recycle food waste than for it to go into the general waste bin.
Thank you to all residents who are helping to reduce waste and recycle their food scraps. Your efforts make a real difference, helping to save Council taxpayers money while protecting the environment by reducing the amount of waste sent for disposal.
The growth in food recycling follows the Council introducing several new initiatives to increase residents use of our free weekly food waste recycling service. Initiatives include the introduction of a ‘food’s not rubbish so let’s recycle it!’ sticker on all of the Borough’s general rubbish bins as a reminder to residents not to put food waste into their green household rubbish bin but instead to recycle their food and make use of the free weekly food waste collections that we have in Bexley.
We have also extended the free weekly food waste recycling service to all flats in Bexley with Simpler Recycling Officers going out to talk to residents and offering them a free food recycling box. Officers have also been out in the Boroughs supermarkets, in schools and at community events talking to local people and children about how easy it is to recycle food and giving out free food caddies during all events. While neighbouring Boroughs are only just beginning to introduce food waste recycling, Bexley residents have been benefiting from this service for over 20 years. From our flats to our high streets and supermarkets, we continue to make recycling easier and more accessible for everyone. Bexley is proud to be leading the way and helping to inspire others
to follow.
Sign up and order your free kitchen food waste recycling caddy and food waste box at Bexley food waste
Have a Christmas that’s merry, bright and less wasteful
Christmas is a time for coming together with family and friends, sharing good food and creating special memories, but it’s also a time when household waste tends to increase. A few simple changes can help make the festive season kinder to the environment while saving money too!
One of the easiest ways to make a difference is by recycling your food waste. From vegetable peelings to leftovers, food waste can be collected separately and turned into electricity and fertiliser instead of being sent for disposal. Planning meals carefully and making the most of leftovers can also help to reduce food waste. From turkey sandwiches to ham and stuffing pie, the options are endless.
When it comes to gift giving, why not consider shopping second-hand or choosing pre-loved treasures instead? The Reuse Shop at Foots Cray Reuse and Recycling Centre offers a range of good quality items, from toys to household goods, giving unwanted items a second life and helping to reduce waste.
Gift wrapping can also have a big environmental impact. When wrapping gifts for your loved ones, choose recyclable wrapping paper, reusable gift bags or even festive fabric wraps. Wrapping paper covered in glitter, foil or plastic coatings cannot usually be recycled and should be avoided.
If you’re decorating with a real Christmas tree this year, remember it can be recycled after the festivities are over. Once decorations have been removed, trees can be collected through the garden waste service or taken to the Council’s Reuse and Recycling Centres in the new year and transformed into useful materials, such as compost and woodchip.
Finally, before throwing away broken items or unwanted gifts, think about whether they could be repaired, reused or passed on to someone else. Visit one of Bexley’s Repair Cafés, the Bexley Community Reuse Shop or a local charity shop to discover how you can give items a new lease of life. Repairing and reusing items helps keep materials in circulation and reduces unnecessary waste.
This Christmas, each small change adds up. By making a few mindful choices, Bexley residents can enjoy a festive season that’s not only special but greener too!