This Plan presents the outcomes we want to see for our borough, our residents and our organisation. It is a continuation of our work over many years that will set Bexley up to be even better in future.

We are ambitious for our borough - we want to secure investment so that current and future generations continue to live in a thriving place. And we have great aspirations for our residents too - we want to support residents to live the best lives possible and to reach their potential. And importantly we want to be good at what we do, to be fair and inclusive, and to be careful with our resources particularly during these challenging times, so that we can achieve the best for Bexley.

We know that there are challenges to overcome, not least the challenges around inflation, interest rates and the rising cost of living that makes all our budgets harder to manage and stretch.

We know that in achieving our ambitions partnership-working is vital - whether that’s working with residents, voluntary groups, businesses, or local police and health providers. Complex cross-cutting issues are better tackled together.

While we know that we and our partners are well-placed to achieve this mission, we also know that funding for our services is reducing, demand for some services is growing and that, after the pandemic, building back fairer is even more important. And importantly, while we will grow and transform our borough, we will preserve the neighbourhoods and the values that make Bexley so special.

Our ambitions are underpinned by our shared values and principles, which include standing up for Bexley, fairness and inclusion, working in partnership, early intervention and prevention, embracing change and innovation and making a difference for our residents.

We would like to thank our residents for their ongoing support, resilience and for playing their part in continuing to make Bexley the great place it is today.

This Plan is for everyone - residents, local businesses, people who study and visit here and all those providing services for the borough and for anyone interested in our shared future success - we hope you enjoy reading it.

Councillor Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, Leader of the Council

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Paul Thorogood, Interim Chief Executive