Party manifestos announced for Bexley

All five major political parties have announced their plans for Bexley ahead of the local council elections on May 7.

The Conservatives have controlled the South East London authority since 2006, but they are expected to face stiff opposition from Reform UK next month. The latest YouGov polling has the Tories just one point ahead at 30 to Reform’s 29.

Of the 45 councillors that make up Bexley Council, 30 are Conservatives, 12 are Labour and the remaining three are independents.

The Conservatives and Labour are aiming to hold onto their seats and acquire more, while Reform, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats are all seeking to make gains on the council.

Read summaries of all the key Bexley party manifestos below.

Conservatives

Despite expected competition from Reform, the Conservative Party are hoping to extend their 20-year control of Bexley Council. You can read some of their key manifesto promises below.

Transport

Invest more than £30m over the next four years to repair, maintain and improve the borough’s roads and pavements
Lead campaigns to extend the Elizabeth Line, bring the DLR into Bexley and bring more Superloop and other bus routes to the borough

Environment

Over the next four years, Invest over £2.5m to improve parks and playgrounds
Use new equipment to keep streets clean and cut grass verges
Maintain collecting 99.9% of household bins on time and work to push overall recycling rates above 50%

Housing

Committed to delivering and building thousands of new family homes over the next decade
Introduce new protections to safeguard family homes and prevent them from being turned into HMOs to keep Bexley safe from illegal migrants and ex-offenders
Fight against development on the borough’s green spaces

Crime and communities

Lobby for more police officers on Bexley streets, invest more in CCTV and campaign to save Bexleyheath Police Station
Continue to invest in services to support domestic abuse victims, and services to support vulnerable adults and children with disabilities
Deliver an Autism Strategy to provide more help for those with learning disabilities
Campaign for more GPs and services at Queen Mary’s Hospital
Invest £1m in community centres, £2m in libraries and develop and implement a new Cultural Strategy

Business and finance

Provide courses to help residents start and grow businesses
Invest in town centres and deliver an Economic Growth Strategy
Prioritise local recruitment to council jobs and local businesses for council contracts

Implement a council transformation programme which will use the latest technology and best practice to keep costs as low as possible and improve services
Invested £20m more in council services in 2026/27

Reform UK

Reform does not have individual manifestos for all the London boroughs in which it has candidates standing next month. However, Bexley is a key target for Nigel Farage’s party. Below are some of their plans if they take control in the borough:

Protect Bexley’s green spaces and green belt
Work to reduce Bexley Council’s budget gap which is forecast to reach £17.8m by 2029/30 by looking at the cost of pension administration, reviewing outlandish council services and taking a critical look at BexleyCo (the council’s housing developer)
Fix Bexley’s roads and fill in potholes across the borough
Investigate bringing in more waste and recycling services in the north of the borough and adopt zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping
Increase CCTV and work heavily with police and the Bexley Neighbourhood Safety Team
Look into pedestrianisation and free 20-minute parking spots on high streets to boost local businesses
Improve youth services to provide activities for Bexley’s young people

Labour

Labour are currently the opposition group on Bexley Council. They hope to persuade voters next month with their ambitious manifesto. You can read their full manifesto here.

Housing

Bring council housing back to to Bexley
Review the council’s single offer housing policy so families don’t have to accept their first choice if it is unsuitable
Overhaul the BexleyCo business plan to provide more affordable homes to buy and rent
Work with charities and organisations on initiatives to help rough sleepers
Strengthen the Bexley Local Plan to address the housing crisis, ensuring a tougher approach is taken on viability assessments so that developers deliver higher proportions of genuinely affordable homes
Develop a Social Infrastructure Strategy to ensure more infrastructure is delivered along with housing
Introduce a private renters charter to protect renters in Bexley by ensuring they are fully informed of their legal rights
Strengthen the Rent it Right scheme to take stronger enforcement against rogue landlords

People

Lobby the government for more money for education and SEND services
Aim to make Bexley Council carbon neutral by 2034 and publish annual reports outlining the progress on sustainability and carbon neutral targets
Work to reduce the use of single-use plastics across all Council buildings and establish a cabinet member accountable for all climate change issues
Work with key partners and developers to regenerate Erith
Investigate the potential to deliver an income maximisation team to increase benefit take up with residents who are entitled
Review how the council uses bailiff orders and consider if they should be banned for cases involving vulnerable residents
Work with local businesses, stakeholders, and developers for more apprenticeships to be offered and work with local colleges to offer the skills and courses that jobseekers need to fulfil their potential
Seek additional government funding to reopen full-service children’s centres and open more family hubs around the borough
Investigate exempting foster carers who live in the borough from paying council tax
Work towards a fairer fund distribution to schools with higher numbers of children with SEND/EHCP needs
The recruitment and retention of a stable care workforce though more sustainable pay, conditions and training levels

Services

Investigate ways of providing a new central library either on the current site or elsewhere in Bexleyheath to allow redevelopment of the current site and investigate other sites for future library improvements
Work constructively with the Mayor of London to improve local police services and investigate models of delivering new police hubs in Bexley
Provide safer streets and design better street lighting and maintain our public spaces to make them safer for women
Fund youth services and volunteer programmes working to reduce the impact gangs have in our borough
Introduce a community strategy that will effectively map out services provided around Bexley by the voluntary sector, community groups, and the council to ensure more effective delivery of services and use of facilities
Investigate the introduction of ‘Smart’ litter bins so that the council is aware when bins are full and require collection

Transport

Review our parking charges and policies to ensure they achieve the balance between protecting residential parking and supporting our town centres
Increase funding above existing planned expenditure to renew roads and pavements
Substantially increase car clubs, including through the planning process, to reduce car usage
Close the deal to bring the DLR to Belvedere and lobby the government to deliver Crossrail to Ebbsfleet
Lobby the Mayor of London to develop new river crossings integrated with options to extend public transport at the same time

Council

Not Increase Council Tax above government policy
Change Fee and Charges annual implementation to align with the calendar year, instead of the existing financial year
Where appropriate we would seek to return council services in-house if they offer value to the taxpayer and deliver better services
Improve the content of Bexley magazine and investigate alternative options to communicate more effectively with residents
Work to become an accredited Living Wage employer
Undertake a Democracy Review, to ensure that our community and elected representatives have a proper say in decisions being taken and allow for better and more effective scrutiny than at present

Green

The Green Party are hoping they can make inroads into the typically blue stronghold of Bexley with their election promises this year. You can read their full manifesto here.

Housing

Hold the council to account on home maintenance
Encourage affordable, quality home schemes
Ensure developers pay their fair share and commit to investing in local infrastructure

Environment

Push for stronger rules to protect existing green spaces and create new ones, especially in areas that lack them
Push the council to develop plans so that housing is ready for the impacts of increased flooding, heatwaves, freezing weather and gale-force winds
Maximise solar power to reduce energy costs on council buildings
Make the council report how it is doing on its own zero carbon plan

Communities

Bridge the gap between the council and communities by encouraging the creation of residents’ associations
Preserve and develop community and youth centres and push for more advice hubs to help those in a crisis
Tackle street cleaning and fly-tipping aggressively to ensure our neighbourhoods feel looked-after.

Crime

Lobby for more visible police officers
Push for better community support services for victims of crime
Invest in youth services to keep young people out of crime

Transport

Push the council to lobby TfL to undo cuts to the 486 bus route
Support plans to reduce car traffic in residential areas and argue for investment in cycle lanes
Ensure that pavements are lit and broken pavements are fixed promptly

Business

Open up empty council-owned spaces for community uses
Push for a renewed business support policy that promotes employment and entrepreneurship, prioritising businesses which contribute to the community.
Work with neighbouring boroughs and commercial organisations to find opportunities to boost our local economy and provide quality jobs

Representation

Promise better local representation as the Green party is not subject to a whipping system like other parties
Hold regular ward surgeries to engage with residents on issues

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats have never controlled Bexley Council. They will be hoping to gain a seat in the South East London authority on May 7. You can read their full manifesto here.

Housing

Implement fast-track planning process for developments that consult meaningfully with communities, deliver at least 35% affordable housing, and include accessible homes for disabled residents
Crack down on rogue landlords and stand up for tenants’ rights
Bring empty homes back into use to cut homelessness and waste

Bexley Civic Centre, where Bexley Council is based. Credit: Google Earth

Crime

Campaign for visible neighbourhood policing
Design safer streets for women and vulnerable groups by improving lighting, reporting routes and safer public-space design
Tackle anti-social behaviour quickly
By targeting hotspots, enforcing against repeat offenders and supporting community clean-ups

Transport

Create safer walking and cycling networks by delivering joined-up routes, safer crossings and segregated cycle lanes where appropriate
Introduce School Streets to Bexley and bring more step-free access areas to the borough
Support low-carbon travel choices by rolling out EV charging points, secure cycle parking and supporting car clubs and cargo-bike schemes

Finance

Consulting and informing on any changes to council tax to keep it as low as possible, whilst ensuring the flawed business rates system does not limit entrepreneurs and local businesses
Review the council’s targeted support mechanisms and bring together community resources to support residents in financial difficulty
Mandate reviews of major contracts at least every two years
Ensure surpluses are reinvested transparently and responsibly in frontline services

Communities

Protect school and early years funding, improve mental health and SEND support and rebuild youth services and safe spaces
Pay council-commissioned care workers workers the living wage
Help people live independently at home by improving home care, respite for carers and access to suitable, accessible housing
Strengthen local mental health services by expanding community-based support
Support community organisations tackling discrimination
Protect green spaces and tackle air pollution by planting more trees

Business

Support shop-local campaigns, markets and high street events
Promote affordable workspace and hubs for creative and green industries
Safeguard libraries, leisure centres, parks and play areas

Council services

Implement equality action plans and publish progress reports
Make services accessible to everyone by improving digital access, inclusive communication and accessible public buildings
Make council decisions open and transparent by live-streaming meetings, publishing data clearly and welcoming public participation
Publish biannual updates on manifesto delivery
Fix council services by setting clear service standards and acting quickly when contractors fail