Section 102 of the Environment Act 2021 came into force on 1 January 2023, strengthening the existing biodiversity duties under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. This strengthened ‘biodiversity duty’ requires public authorities to consider what they can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity when exercising their functions.

As public authority, each of the Council functions should, from time to time, be considering what actions they can take to conserve and enhance biodiversity in their areas.

The London Borough of Bexley has prepared this report in line with Section 40A of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which was updated by Section 103 of the Environment Act 2021 on 1 January 2023.

This report documents the actions carried out by the Council to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

This report includes:

• a summary of the action taken by the Council to comply with the biodiversity duty;
• how the Council plan to comply with the biodiversity duty in the next reporting period;
• any other information the Council consider appropriate.

As the Local Planning Authority (LPA), the Council is also required to report on its responsibilities for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) under the planning system. This report therefore includes a dedicated section covering:

• the actions carried out by the Council to meet its BNG obligations;
• details of BNG resulting, or expected to result, from biodiversity gain plans approved by the Council; and
• how the Council plan to meet its BNG obligations in the next reporting period.

The reporting period ends on 31 December 2025. Subsequent reporting periods must begin the day after the last biodiversity reporting period ends, and conclude within five years.