The Public Cabinet meeting of Bexley Council, held on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, focused on the council's financial health, strategic transformation, and the future of children's services. Key discussions included the outturn position for the 2025-26 financial year, budget monitoring for the current financial year, and the updated Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The cabinet also received updates on the Future Bexley transformation programme, the BexleyCo business plan, and the Annual Performance Report. Discussions also covered the vision for local Community Hubs, the Fostering Strategy, and a new vision statement for Children's Services.

Budget Monitoring and Financial Strategy

The council reviewed its financial performance for the 2025-26 financial year, noting an outturn overspend of £208,000, which was an improvement of £1.153 million compared to the previous report. This was largely mitigated by underspends in housing, parking, and environmental services, despite overspends in adult social care and SEN transport. Capital expenditure for the year was £37.464 million against a budget of £43.297 million, with slippage mainly due to delays in the BexleyCo scheme.

For the current financial year (2026-27), the budget monitoring at period two indicated a forecast overspend of £601,000. This was attributed to SEN transport costs and transformation savings not yet being sufficiently progressed. Capital expenditure was forecast to be largely on budget, with £5 million in slippage for the Irith Regen project.

The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was updated to include projections up to 2030-31, revealing a widening budget gap from an estimated £8.192 million in 2027-28 to a projected £21.885 million by 2030-31. This strategy assumes maximum council tax increases of 4.99% annually and relies on the successful delivery of savings from the Future Bexley transformation programme and service reviews. Key financial risks identified include contract inflation, pay inflation, and increasing demand and complexity in social care and SEN transport.

Future Bexley: Transforming Our Borough Together

The Future Bexley programme has transitioned into its delivery phase, aiming to achieve a baseline savings target of £3.630m for 2026/27. This is being driven by three core programmes: Customer Experience, Whole Life Transformation, and Commercialisation. The Customer Experience programme is enhancing digital channels and automating self-service options, while Whole Life Transformation is focusing on integrated, preventative care pathways across adult and children's services. The Commercialisation programme aims to maximise value from council spend and generate income through contract management, asset utilisation, and optimising fees and charges.

A new Assurance Framework has been launched to govern the programme, introducing a five-stage gateway methodology and a three-tiered governance structure to ensure accountability and rigorous validation of savings. Phase 2 of the savings strategy has also been launched, aiming to identify an additional £7.000m in strategic savings by 2029/30 through staff and member-led co-design. A comprehensive update on both phases will be presented in November 2026.

BexleyCo Update

An update on BexleyCo's business plan revealed progress on development sites, with the completion of the former Sidcup Library site and commencement of work on Bursted Woods. However, sales at West Street have been slower than anticipated, leading to a hybrid sales and rental model being adopted. Planning consent has been achieved for Bursted Woods and Erith High Street, and applications are progressing for Burr Farm and Belvedere Family Centre. The overall forecast development profit has reduced slightly to £24.203m, with an expected profit after tax of £15.836m. Challenges remain due to market conditions, construction inflation, and the Building Safety Act, particularly affecting the delivery of affordable homes.

Annual Performance Report

The Annual Performance Report for 2025/26 indicated strong and reliable services for residents, with good progress in key areas such as safeguarding, employment, housing, financial management, and customer services. The report highlighted achievements in reducing smoking prevalence, improving adult social care outcomes, and decreasing the number of children entering care. However, it also acknowledged continuing pressures, particularly in social care, housing, and special educational needs, due to rising demand and complexity.

Local Community Hubs Vision

Cabinet was asked to approve in principle the development of a borough-wide Community Hubs Network. This initiative aims to provide residents with simpler, more accessible, and joined-up support closer to home, building on existing programmes like Family Hubs and Best Start in Life. The vision emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and maximising the use of the public estate, with an intention to explore alignment with NHS Neighbourhood Health Centres. Officers were delegated authority to develop detailed proposals for future consideration.

Fostering Strategy

The Bexley Fostering Strategy 2026–2030 was discussed, setting out ambitions to increase the number of local foster carers, improve placement stability and quality, and strengthen support and retention for foster carers. Key objectives include recruiting an additional 80 fostering households, placing 90% of children in care with local foster carers, and placing 80% of sibling groups together. The strategy also aims to reduce reliance on independent fostering agencies and develop specialist provision.

Children's Services Vision

A new vision statement for Children's Services was presented: Together, with our partners, we will build strong relationships with children and families to empower them to grow, enrich their education and wellbeing to be the best they can be. This vision is supported by principles of valuing uniqueness, empathy and respect, and focusing on engagement, participation, and co-production. The statement is intended to serve as a guide for practice and align with legislative changes and corporate priorities.

The meeting also noted apologies for absence from Councillor Cameron Smith and agreed the minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 April 2026. No declarations of interest were made.