Bexley: Ready for tomorrow, growing for a better future

Bexley is a borough built on opportunity shaped by its proud heritage, vibrant communities, and a shared ambition to create a better future for all. Our vision, “Ready for tomorrow, growing for a better future,” captures our commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth that benefits everyone who lives, works, and invests here. 

We are working towards a future where Bexley is more than just a great place to live it’s a place where people and businesses can thrive. Growth in Bexley is guided by the voices of our residents, rooted in fairness, and driven by long-term resilience. Every decision we make is focused on creating lasting impacts, ensuring that our borough remains ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.

A great place should offer

Bexley is more than a quiet, leafy borough on London’s edge. It is a place of untapped energy, creativity and enterprise. The north of the borough has 9 kilometres of riverside frontage, much if which is untapped and is home to some of the capital’s largest industrial zones, offering space and scale for innovation and investment. Areas like Erith and Abbey Wood, in the north of the borough are evolving rapidly, with dynamic new communities bringing fresh ideas, vibrancy and opportunity.

In the south, our drama colleges are nurturing talent that feeds into a rich cultural scene, waiting to be fully realised and celebrated. Across the centre of the borough, in our suburban heartlands, thousands of small and homebased businesses are thriving, taking full advantage of flexible working and digital connectivity, with the potential to scale and diversify.

This is a borough of enormous potential. But to realise this, we must tell our story with confidence and clarity. We must showcase our strengths, champion our communities and invite investors to be part of our journey. At the same time, we must nurture the ambition of those already here, supporting local enterprise, unlocking creativity and creating the conditions for inclusive, sustainable growth.

Bexley is ready to step forward, not just as a place to live, but as a place to invest in, innovate and lead.

Good growth is growth that lifts everyone. It is fair, inclusive and sustainable, built with people at its heart and shaped by the communities it serves. Everyone should have the opportunity to thrive, and progress must be shared. By working together, we can build a borough where wellbeing is a foundation, not a privilege.

This means creating the conditions where people feel supported, valued and empowered to shape their future. It means ensuring that investment enhances our environment, strengthens our communities and leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.

We start with the belief that everyone has something to offer. When we recognise and nurture that potential, we unlock creativity, resilience and innovation. Early inclusion is key, bringing people into the conversation from the beginning, listening to diverse voices and acting on what we hear. By spotting challenges early and responding quickly, we can prevent problems from escalating and create more effective, lasting solutions.

Improving access to the right support, whether it’s health services, education, employment or community networks, is central to this approach. When people have what they need to live well, they contribute more fully to their communities and help build a stronger, fairer Bexley.

This is our opportunity to lead with compassion, invest in wellbeing and create a borough where everyone can flourish.

Green innovation is seen as a critical component of ensuring good growth and Bexley is well placed to play its full part in this next industrial revolution. It has a long-established waste and recycling sector which is at the forefront of developing new green technologies, including carbon capture and district heating systems in addition to the existing energy from waste facilities. Its many warehousing and distribution companies have the opportunity to develop sustainable freight approaches using the adjoining Thames and last mile delivery technologies whilst the local construction sector could lead the way on emerging building materials and techniques. 

These initiatives will require new skills in the local workforce. Business will need to work proactively with local schools and colleges to ensure accessible pathways to learning. Developing a skilled pool of labour in the borough will then encourage further investment and innovation with benefits far beyond the sector.

While green industries will play an important role, our ambition is broader. We aim to support growth across established sectors such as logistics, construction, business services, retail and leisure, while also creating space for emerging industries in technology, digital innovation and the creative economy.

This begins with our people. Bexley is home to a talented and ambitious population, supported by a network of popular grammar schools and further education providers. Yet too often, our young people leave the borough to pursue careers elsewhere. We must change that by strengthening local pathways into work, especially through vocational training, apprenticeships and partnerships with employers, to help retain and grow our home-grown talent.

We also recognise the potential of our existing workforce. Many residents are looking to reskill, start their own businesses or expand their current ventures. To support them, we need to offer high-quality advice, flexible learning opportunities and access to affordable, well-located workspaces. Strong digital and transport connectivity will be essential to ensure businesses can thrive and people can access opportunities wherever they are.

By investing in skills, supporting enterprise and creating the right conditions for innovation, Bexley can become a place where ambition is matched by opportunity and where people of all ages and backgrounds can build successful, fulfilling careers.