Title: Bexley Cultural Strategy 2026 to 2029. 

Service affected: Libraries and Communities, Strategic Growth and Regeneration, Economic Development and Skills.

You need to make clear if the policy/function is highly relevant, relevant or not relevant to equality. To determine relevance to equality you need to complete the ‘Checklist for determining relevance to equality’. Please detail which groups are most affected.

Highly relevant to equality: The project seeks to use culture and creativity to sustain a decade of prosperity and togetherness across the London Borough of Bexley. It will organise activities that bring people to town centres, develop young talent, support new business and improve health and wellbeing. As a result, the strategy is particularly relevant to the protected groups of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and race. The strategy contributes to the Public Sector Equality Duty by seeking to widen participation across diverse communities, fostering good relations through shared cultural experiences and seeking to remove barriers to cultural access.

Please detail the proposed savings to budget that you are hoping to make.

How will this be achieved?

The strategy does not propose direct savings to budgets

You will need to detail the following:

• Please provide a profile of the service including its purpose, how and where the service is delivered and who uses it
• What are the specific changes that you are proposing and what will these changes deliver?
• Are these proposals just linked to savings or is there a solid business case for this? Please detail
• How will this change support our wider objectives such as the Corporate Plan or directorate business plans?

Scope of proposal

The Cultural Strategy is driven by, and an outcome of the work to develop the Council’s new Growth Strategy. Government has identified growth as a national priority and established a growth mission with seven pillars including increasing investment and reforming the economy to drive up productivity, prosperity and living standards. Off the back of this, the London Mayor’s Growth Plan sets out a comprehensive strategy to revitalise the Capital’s economy and enhance its growth potential including a focus on creative industries and the experience economy. Bexley’s Cultural Strategy flows directly from this national and regional work and seeks to establish a local approach to growing cultural and creative experiences, opportunities and developments in Bexley by positioning the Council as an enabler of activity.

Profile

The strategy provides a borough-wide framework that enables cultural activity and participation. Delivery happens through the Council’s enabling roles and a network of partners (e.g., arts organisations, community/independent libraries, heritage venues, education institutions, voluntary and community groups, and creative enterprises). Activity takes place across libraries, heritage sites, parks and open spaces, community venues, schools and town centres as described in the strategy with residents of all ages potentially benefiting from services and activities across the Borough. There is expected to be a specific focus on children and young people, older residents, disabled residents, low‑income households and diverse communities, reflecting the borough’s demographic profile.

The Strategy sets out four key themes that shape Bexley’s approach to culture:

• Growing Places - using culture and creativity to support vibrant town centres, strengthen local identity and bring people together
• Growing Talent - enabling children, young people and emerging artists to develop creative skills and access progression opportunities
• Growing Jobs - supporting the growth of Bexley’s creative economy, nurturing creative enterprises and attracting inward investment
• Growing Health - recognising the contribution of creative activity to wellbeing, social connection and preventative approaches

Through each theme, the strategy sets out how the Council can act by:

• Brokering – connecting cultural partners, schools, businesses and community groups to enable activity to happen in the right places
• Promoting – raising the visibility of cultural organisations and events through Council communication channels, improving awareness and participation
• Planning – using planning and regeneration processes to recognise and support culture, creative uses, infrastructure and activity in key places
• Venue Management – making effective use of civic venues, libraries, heritage sites, parks and open spaces as platforms for cultural activity

These enabling roles can help advance equality of opportunity by strengthening cultural activity across different parts of the borough, increasing visibility of opportunities, supporting a mix of accessible public venues and helping partners reach diverse communities.

Specific changes proposed and what they will deliver

The strategy introduces a co-ordinated strategic approach to culture in Bexley, clarifying priorities and roles rather than changing existing services. It will connect and amplify existing cultural activity, improve visibility and participation, support town centre vitality and place-making, strengthen talent pathways with schools/colleges and partners, grow creative-industry jobs and investment and expand creative-health partnerships to support wellbeing and prevention.

Are these proposals linked to savings or is there a solid business case?

The strategy does not propose direct savings to budgets. It is grounded in: (i) national and regional growth priorities for the creative industries; (ii) the role of culture in towncentre footfall, inward investment and local employment; and (iii) creative health as part of prevention and community wellbeing. This aligns with the Council’s corporate commitments to thriving local economies, healthy and resilient lives and inclusive communities as set out in the Bexley Plan.

How will this change support our wider objectives such as the corporate plan and directorate business plans?

The strategy aligns well with the Council’s corporate plan, has a clear link to the growth strategy and will also support other strategies associated with sustainable development, skills, training and business support, health and wellbeing, education, libraries and climate change. Specifically, it contributes to the Bexley Plan 2022 to 2026 ambitions for:

• Good growth and a thriving local economy – strengthening town centres and creative enterprises
• Aspiration and opportunities for children and young people – talent development and progression routes
• Happy, healthy and resilient lives – creative health and participation
• Inclusive, safe and connected communities – shared cultural experiences and pride of place

It also supports Bexley’s 2050 Vision by advancing a vibrant, attractive and wellconnected borough, strengthening skills and employment pathways in the creative economy and enhancing quality of life and community cohesion through culture and use of public spaces.

Please detail the likely impact of your proposals on each equality group including service users and potential service users, supported by demographic evidence. 

The equality groups are:

• Age
• Disability
• Sex
• Gender reassignment
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation
• Marriage and civil partnership (but only for aim one of the duty)

You will need to consider these impacts in relation to the duties detailed under the Public Sector Equality Duty. What evidence do you currently have about who uses this service, how important is this service to each equality group and the likely impact of your proposals on each equalities group?

You will be expected to use demographic information to show the composition of the service users in each of the equality groups. If we do not have such information, please state the group and that no information is currently recorded.

What demographic data is missing and how would you be able to fill this gap?

Demographic Datafor Bexley

There is national, regional and local evidence available which shows that people with certain protected characteristics can face barriers in employment, access to places and services and information.

The 2021 Census (ward profiles available on the council website) and equality related evidence from the Bexley Data Observatory have been used in this assessment. 

The Bexley Data Observatory provides headline demographic information about Bexley’s residents - including age, ethnicity, disability, religion and socio-economic indicators – and identifies 'the big picture' in terms of health and wellbeing needs and inequalities across the borough. It is designed to support understanding of the local population and informs future service planning, taking into account evidence of effectiveness. There is potential for the strategy to have positive impacts for all protected groups by setting out to provide an approach to culture that will grow diverse and impactful cultural activity on a borough wide scale.

Equalities data is not consistently available across all cultural partners, particularly smaller partners or organisations delivering project-based activity, and the Bexley Data Observatory does not include culture-specific participation data. As a result, boroughwide demographic information about who engages with cultural activity is not available and so planning must currently rely on demographic context plus partner insight, rather than formal participation data.

Current Culture Partners and Cultural Activity

Although the culture strategy is a Council strategy, much of what the Council can enable will inevitably be delivered by its local culture partners. The Council’s key culture partners are members of Bexley Culture Network. Collectively they represent a diverse mix of artforms and activity and work with diverse audiences through a wide range of projects and programmes. The Council’s partners are spread geographically around the borough, as evidenced by the Bexley culture map. Examples of how these partners positively impact on equalities are:

• Peabody is delivering a comprehensive culture strategy and programme for Thamesmead, as part of its long-term regeneration. This programme engages local residents including the traveller community, west African community and other ethnic groups that reside in this diverse part of the borough
• Three Rivers is a social arts agency with Arts Council funding who work with a wide range of communities and community groups, including youth groups
• Libraries are spread throughout Bexley and offer inclusive activities including an ‘ageing well hub’ at Sidcup library where creative activity forms part of the offer. Stories and rhyme sessions for young children are core to the library offer, providing a lifeline for parents and grandparents of babies and young children and the Bookstart programme, delivered in partnership with health visitors reaches mothers during maternity
• Bird College is a performing arts institution that develops talented students into musical theatre industry careers. The college is deeply committed to diversity and equality
• Centrepieces is a mental health arts charity that directly addresses mental health and related disability through its therapeutic and supportive programmes
• Heritage sites around Bexley, including Lesnes Abbey, Hall Place and Danson House offer accessible features, ensuring everyone can enjoy these significant places

The range of partners and the work already has a positive impact on the full breadth of protected characteristics and the culture strategy will seek to strengthen and amplify this.

Access and information

The Cultural Strategy enables cultural activity to take place across a range of public settings in the borough, including libraries, heritage sites, parks, community venues and schools, as set out in the Strategy. Information about cultural opportunities may be promoted through Council communication channels such as Bexley Magazine, social media and local advertising, reflecting the Council’s ‘promoter’ role described in the strategy. Cultural activities themselves are delivered by a wide range of independent partners, each with their own arrangements for access and engagement.

Socio-Economic Considerations

Socio‑economic factors, including low income and local deprivation differences, may affect affordability and travel to cultural activity. The strategy’s use of free/low‑cost opportunities, where feasible, and accessible civic venues (e.g., libraries/parks) can help reduce these barriers.

What is the context to the proposed change in policy/function ? Please concisely describe the relevant background/context as to why the change is being proposed. For example, is there national guidance that promotes the change? Best practice? Credible independent research about the outcome being sought? Financial situation of the service/Council?

Is this proposal likely to be subject to a public consultation with service users and potential service users? Please state when consultation is/was carried out and give overview (including whom consulted; different methods used to make sure relevant people asked; issues raised by people and action taken on any of these issues – did we change anything in relation to the consultation feedback?)

The Council does not have a previous culture strategy. It has largely chosen not to actively focus on this area in recent years while other issues such as budget pressures and the Covid response have taken precedence. However, it is clear that other London Councils have benefitted from a culture strategy in terms of a wide range of outcomes and that the creative industries are economically significant in the UK with increasing importance expected in the future. The Council is now seeking to adopt a culture strategy in order to maximise the benefits of this sector to Bexley residents and to harness the economic, social and health outcomes that have been evidenced elsewhere and through a deepening body of research, such as that showing that creative activity is measurably beneficial to health. The culture strategy is closely linked to the growth strategy and seeks to reinforce the need for good growth by emphasising the positive impact culture can have on a place and its people. 

Public consultation on the growth strategy took place between 8th December 2025 and 5 th January 2026. The consultation was advertised on the Councils web site, brought to the attention of local groups and copies of the draft document deposited in the Civic Offices and libraries. This consultation included questions relating to culture.

More significantly, as the strategy is positioned to grow the creative sector in Bexley, engagement has taken place with all of the key local culture partners through the Bexley Culture Network and the culture strategy reflects their practice, ambitions and hopes for culture in Bexley. This is a diverse set of partners, working with audiences spanning the spectrum of protected characteristics.

Please detail how any potential negative impacts for each equalities groups could reasonably be addressed? If possible, please indicate what you think the likely cost of mitigation would be.

While no negative impacts have been identified, cultural activity in Bexley is delivered through a range of partners, many of whom have limited core funding and operate on externally grant-funded, location-specific and fixed-term projects. As a result, cultural opportunities may vary across different parts of the borough at different times. Potential risks include uneven geographic distribution of activity, affordability or transport barriers for some residents and variation in how partners collect equalities information. In its enabling role, the Council will seek to be mindful of this when it supports and energises the work of different partners to spread the benefits of this strategy across the borough, including by:

• seeking, where possible, a reasonable spread of activity across the borough
• encouraging free or low-cost opportunities where feasible
• promoting opportunities through multiple channels
• continuing to use accessible public venues, such as libraries and parks

Equality impacts will be kept in view during implementation and this assessment may be revisited, if needed.