Slade Green and Crayford Marshes are to receive up to £20m over 10 years. This funding, which comes from the Government’s Pride in Place scheme, will be overseen by local residents and figures from the voluntary and faith sectors. It will be used to deliver improvements shaped by local people.

The scheme is designed to support the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the UK. The money will be used to support local priorities, strengthen community identity, and improve physical and social infrastructure, but the detail of how this money is spent will be determined by local people.

Decision-making will rest with a neighbourhood board, which will include a mixture of residents, local businesses, grass roots campaigners, workplace representatives and community leaders.

Preparations are underway to deliver the Pride in Place scheme. In particular, social, economic and demographic data is being reviewed to understand the opportunities the funding allows, while the structure, membership and chairperson of the neighbourhood board is also being considered by the Council and constituency MP. Once appointed, the Board, Council and MP will together manage the funding and develop a 10-year regeneration plan for the neighbourhood in line with the Government’s guidelines.

The scheme will build on the neighbourhood's strengths, including its local open spaces and parks, a strong community food network, and health initiatives delivered through the North Bexley Local Care Network. Slade Green and Crayford Marshes’ riverside location, proud industrial history, and the solidarity shown during the COVID-19 pandemic all make for a proud, resilient and distinctive neighbourhood

The council and its partners have launched Bexley’s Economic Growth Strategy. This strategy will build a resilient and diverse economy, supported by excellent connectivity, a skilled and engaged workforce, high-quality homes and outstanding local services.

The strategy – 'Ready for tomorrow, growing for a better future' – recognises that Bexley is well positioned at the meeting point of key regional routes. It aims to use our connectivity with London, Kent, and the wider Thames Estuary to lead the way in inclusive, sustainable economic growth, while also drawing attention to the untapped potential in our riverside areas and around the burgeoning cultural scene in the south.

It also recognises that in order for growth to work for all, we need to work with residents and partners. It explicitly commits to working with residents and a range of public and private sector partners, from small local businesses to larger businesses working with us on green jobs and regeneration.

Building on successes in jobs, development and infrastructure, it highlights our existing strengths and how they can be built on to support good growth in the future. It focuses on:

• clear outcomes that make a real difference to everyday life
• themes and principles to ensure fairness, opportunity and resilience
• ambitious projects to attract investment and support new skills, innovation and a more prosperous economy

Hear more about the Strategy from the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council.

Economic Growth Strategy

Hear about the growth potential of our wider region from the Local London group, a partnership of nine London boroughs across the east of the city, who act as a champion for the sub-region.

Introducing our Vision for the Local London sub-region