Councillor Aidan Smith
Email: Aidan.Smith@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
Council: Greenwich
Council Profile: View on council website
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Positions, Voting Record & Activity Summary
Aidan Smith's council service across multiple years reveals a consistent, albeit evolving, commitment to fiscal responsibility, community development, and addressing local infrastructure concerns. His most recent activity in 2026 saw him listed as a member of the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel, with a noted attendance in January, indicating a return to active participation after previous absences.
In the preceding year, 2025, Smith demonstrated a strong focus on community well-being and infrastructure. He was a key supporter of budgetary decisions, voting in favour of budget and council tax recommendations. His leadership in discussing the community wealth building strategy was particularly noteworthy, where he highlighted its positive impact on local jobs and London Living Wage accreditation, and proposed future enhancements. Smith also actively engaged with resident concerns regarding traffic in West Greenwich, presenting a petition and advocating for traffic calming measures. While present at a Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting in November 2025, his specific contributions were not detailed.
Prior to this, in 2024, Smith's contributions centered on budgetary and strategic clarity. He actively participated in Cabinet meetings, posing pertinent questions about the financial implications of potential pay rises for local government workers. He also demonstrated a keen eye for policy detail by raising concerns about the specificity of target groups
in cultural strategy consultations, advocating for the use of current ward names to ensure more precise and relevant community engagement. His contributions in 2024 underscore a commitment to fiscal prudence and the effective implementation of policies.
Overall, Aidan Smith's priorities appear to have evolved from a strong initial focus on fiscal responsibility and policy precision in 2024, to a broader engagement with community wealth building and direct resident concerns about infrastructure in 2025. His most recent involvement in 2026, while less detailed, places him within a panel focused on inclusive economy and culture, suggesting a continued, or perhaps re-emphasized, interest in these areas. A consistent thread throughout his service is his engagement with budgetary matters and his desire for clarity and effective implementation of council strategies.
Yearly Activity Timeline
In 2026, Aidan Smith was a listed member of the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel. His attendance at the January 8th meeting was noted, marking his return after previous apologies for absence. No other specific actions or statements were recorded for this period.
Monthly Activity in 2026
During January 2026, Aidan Smith was a listed member of the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel. His attendance at the meeting on January 8th, 2026, was noted, following previous apologies for absence in November 2025. No other specific actions or statements by Aidan Smith were recorded for this meeting.
Meetings in January 2026
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 8th January, 2026 6.30 pm - 8 January 2026
Aidan Smith was a listed member of the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel. He had previously sent apologies for absence for the meeting held on 6 November 2025. No other activity for Aidan Smith was recorded in the provided documents for the 8th January 2026 meeting.
Throughout 2025, Aidan Smith demonstrated a consistent focus on community well-being and infrastructure. He voted in favour of key budget and council tax setting recommendations in March, aligning with earlier support for the 2025-2026 Council Tax Base in January. In April, Smith took a leading role in discussing the community wealth building strategy, highlighting its successes in increasing London Living Wage accreditation and supporting local jobs, and proposing future improvements. He also chaired an Anchored in Greenwich
meeting, noting strong support for pledge renewals. Later in the year, Smith addressed resident concerns regarding traffic issues in West Greenwich by presenting a petition in June and advocating for traffic calming measures, including physical barriers, in September. He also raised concerns about potential traffic diversion impacts from a new pedestrian crossing. While present at a Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting in November, no specific actions were recorded for him.
Monthly Activity in 2025
During November 2025, Aidan Smith was present at the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on November 13th. No specific actions or statements were recorded for him during this meeting.
Meetings in November 2025
Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 13th November, 2025 6.30 pm - 13 November 2025
Aidan Smith was present at the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on 2025-11-13. There is no record of him speaking or taking any specific actions during the meeting.
During the September 24th, 2025 council meeting, Councillor Aidan Smith (Labour) welcomed a cabinet member to their temporary post. He voiced support for the proposed physical barriers to close Maidenstone Hill and Winforton Street, referencing a past traffic scheme that did not cause significant issues. Smith also pointed out the potential impact of a new pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Blackheath Hill on traffic diversion. He requested that the situation be reviewed if the hard closure is not made permanent, particularly after the new crossing is operational.
Meetings in September 2025
Council - Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 7.00 pm - 24 September 2025
Councillor Aidan Smith (Greenwich Park, Labour) thanked the cabinet member and welcomed them to their temporary post. He expressed support for the physical barriers to close Maidenstone Hill and Winforton Street, noting that a previous traffic scheme did not cause significant problems. Smith also highlighted the changing traffic picture due to a new pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Blackheath Hill, which could divert more traffic to the area. He requested that if a hard closure is not made permanent in the traffic scheme, the situation should be kept under review once the crossing is implemented.
During June 2025, Aidan Smith presented a petition signed by 49 residents concerning traffic issues in the West Greenwich area. The petition advocates for either the 24-hour operation of the West Greenwich traffic scheme or hard closures on Maidstone Hill and Winforton Street to address resident concerns about noise, speeding, and safety outside of the scheme's current operating hours. > I've got a petition signed by 49 residents of Maidstone Hill, Winforton Street, Point Hill, and surrounding streets, and they're calling for the 24-hour operation of the West Greenwich traffic scheme or hard closures on Maidstone Hill and Winforton Street to deal with issues they're facing around noise, speeding, and safety outside of the scheme's operating hours.
Meetings in June 2025
Council - Wednesday, 25th June, 2025 7.00 pm - 25 June 2025
Aidan Smith presented a petition signed by 49 residents from Maidstone Hill, Winforton Street, Point Hill, and surrounding streets. The petition calls for either the 24-hour operation of the West Greenwich traffic scheme or hard closures on Maidstone Hill and Winforton Street to address concerns about noise, speeding, and safety outside of the scheme's current operating hours. > I've got a petition signed by 49 residents of Maidstone Hill, Winforton Street, Point Hill, and surrounding streets, and they're calling for the 24-hour operation of the West Greenwich traffic scheme or hard closures on Maidstone Hill and Winforton Street to deal with issues they're facing around noise, speeding, and safety outside of the scheme's operating hours.
Aidan Smith is listed as a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity.
Meetings in May 2025
Council Annual Meeting - Wednesday, 14th May, 2025 7.00 pm - 14 May 2025
Aidan Smith is listed as a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity.
During the April 2025 Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel meeting, Councillor Aidan Smith led the discussion on the community wealth building strategy. He presented a report evaluating the strategy's impact over the past two years, highlighting key achievements such as a 54% increase in London Living Wage accredited businesses, benefiting over 24,000 workers. Smith detailed successful collaborations with anchor organizations, resulting in significant spending with local suppliers and supporting over 25,000 jobs. He also proposed recommendations for future improvements, including renewing partnerships, investing in a dedicated coordinator, and strengthening procurement processes. Smith also reported on chairing an Anchored in Greenwich
meeting on March 25th, noting strong support for pledge renewals and the positive impact of networking opportunities in generating jobs and growth for the borough.
Meetings in April 2025
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Wednesday, 23rd April, 2025 6.30 pm - 23 April 2025
Aidan Smith was present at the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel meeting held on April 23, 2025. However, the provided documents do not indicate that he spoke or took any specific action during the meeting.
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Tuesday, 8th April, 2025 6.30 pm - 8 April 2025
Councillor Aidan Smith (Labour, Greenwich Park) led the presentation and discussion on the community wealth building strategy. He introduced the report evaluating the strategy's impact over the past two years and outlined key recommendations for the future. Smith noted that the council began working with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLEZ) in 2021, with the strategy adopted in 2022, and Anchor Dean Greenwich established as a delivery partner in September 2022. He stated these approaches have been pivotal in developing the inclusive economy strategy and fostering a more people-centred approach to economic growth.
Smith presented key achievements, including a 54% increase in London Living Wage accredited businesses, benefiting over 24,000 workers. He highlighted successful collaborations with anchor organisations like the University of Greenwich, the local Chamber of Commerce, and Peabody, which have led to significant spending with local suppliers. Pledges from Anchor Partners resulted in £3.3 billion spent, with £228 million going to suppliers based in Greenwich and £1.6 billion in London, supporting over 25,000 jobs. He estimated that if all 11 anchor organisations followed this pattern, local spend could reach £501 million and £3.5 billion across London.
Key recommendations for improvement included renewing the partnership with updated commitments, investing in a dedicated coordinator, broadening the living wage subgroup to focus on overall employment quality, creating a new decarbonisation subgroup, and exploring collective actions on land and asset use for local businesses. He also emphasized strengthening procurement processes to enhance local supplier spend and measure social value.
Smith reported chairing an Anchored in Greenwich
meeting on March 25th, noting widespread support for members to renew their pledges. He expressed his enjoyment in chairing these meetings since June, describing the participants as enthusiastic and committed. He highlighted that networking opportunities at these meetings deliver jobs and growth for the borough, citing an example of an organisation securing a contract through such a meeting.
Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 3rd April, 2025 6.30 pm - 3 April 2025
Aidan Smith was present at the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on April 3, 2025. He is also listed as a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity. There is no record of him speaking or taking any specific action during the meeting.
During the March 26th, 2025 Council meeting, Aidan Smith voted in favour of the recommendations for the Budget and Council Tax Setting for 2025-26. This aligns with a previous vote on January 29th, 2025, where Aidan Smith also supported the recommendations for the Council Tax Base for 2025-2026.
Meetings in March 2025
Council - Wednesday, 26th March, 2025 7.00 pm - 26 March 2025
During the Council meeting on March 26th, 2025, Aidan Smith voted in favour of the recommendations concerning the Budget and Council Tax Setting for 2025-26. This follows a previous instance on January 29th, 2025, where Aidan Smith also voted in favour of the recommendations regarding the Council Tax Base for 2025-2026.
There is no record of Aidan Smith saying or doing anything during February 2025.
Meetings in February 2025
Council Special Meeting - Wednesday, 26th February, 2025 7.00 pm - 26 February 2025
There is no record of Aidan Smith saying or doing anything in the provided documents for the Council Special Meeting on 2025-02-26.
Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 6th February, 2025 6.30 pm - 6 February 2025
Councillor Aidan Smith, representing Greenwich Park (Labour) and a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity, was absent from the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on December 5, 2024, and sent apologies. There is no record of his participation in the February 6, 2025 meeting.
During January 2025, Councillor Aidan Smith attended the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel meeting on January 16th. He was also listed as a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity in the public reports pack for the council meeting on January 29th. There is no record of him speaking or taking any specific actions during the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel meeting.
Meetings in January 2025
Council - Wednesday, 29th January, 2025 7.00 pm - 29 January 2025
Aidan Smith is listed as a member of the Sir John Evelyn Charity, according to the public reports pack for the council meeting.
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 16th January, 2025 7.00 pm - 23 January 2025
Aidan Smith was present at the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel meeting on January 16, 2025. He is also listed as a Councillor with membership in the Sir John Evelyn Charity. There is no record of him speaking or taking any specific actions during the meeting.
In July 2024, Councillor Aidan Smith actively participated in the Cabinet meeting, focusing on budgetary and strategic clarity. He inquired about the financial implications of a potential five percent pay rise for local government workers. Additionally, he raised concerns regarding the specificity of target groups
within the cultural strategy's community consultation, suggesting the use of current ward names instead of what he perceived as outdated ones. His contributions highlight a focus on fiscal responsibility and precise policy implementation.
Monthly Activity in 2024
During December 2024, Aidan Smith had no recorded activity in the council meetings.
Meetings in December 2024
Council - Wednesday, 4th December, 2024 7.00 pm - 4 December 2024
There is no record of Aidan Smith speaking or taking any action in the provided transcript.
During the July 24th Cabinet meeting, Councillor Aidan Smith raised two key points. Firstly, he inquired about the budgetary implications of a potential five percent pay rise for local government workers, acknowledging that the exact financial impact was still being determined. Secondly, he questioned the clarity of target groups
within the cultural strategy's community consultation section, specifically on page 777. Councillor Smith expressed concern that the listed consultation areas (Middle Park, Elton West, Woolwich, and Riverside) were too vague and appeared to be outdated ward names. He suggested using current ward names for improved specificity.
Meetings in July 2024
Cabinet - Wednesday, 24th July, 2024 2.00 pm - 24 July 2024
Councillor Aidan Smith inquired about the potential budgetary impact of a five percent pay rise for local government workers, noting that the exact figure was still under discussion. He also raised a point regarding the cultural strategy's community consultation section, specifically questioning the clarity of target groups
listed on page 777. Councillor Smith expressed concern that the named areas for consultation, such as Middle Park, Elton West, Woolwich, and Riverside, were too vague and suggested using current ward names for greater specificity, pointing out that the listed areas appeared to be old ward names that no longer exist.
Activity Timeline
Meetings Attended Note this may include planned future meetings.
41 meetings · Page 5 of 9
Council - Wednesday, 25th June, 2025 7.00 pm
The Royal Borough of Greenwich Council met on 25 June 2025, and among other business, agreed to prohibit itinerant ice cream trading on King William Walk, and to dispose of the Margaret McMillan Field Study Centre, subject to certain conditions. The council also reviewed its strategic risk register and discussed a number of questions raised by both members of the public and councillors.
Council Annual Meeting - Wednesday, 14th May, 2025 7.00 pm
At the annual meeting of the Royal Borough of Greenwich council, Councillor Linda Bird was elected as Mayor for 2025-26, and Councillor David Gardner was appointed as Deputy Mayor. Councillors also approved the establishment of committees, panels and boards, and agreed on the allocation of seats to political groups. They also approved the outline calendar of meetings, and the
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Wednesday, 23rd April, 2025 6.30 pm
The Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel were scheduled to discuss updates from cabinet members and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The meeting was scheduled to cover a range of topics, including economic development, support for local businesses, cultural events, sports, and the voluntary sector. The panel was also expected to note the progress of the UKSPF programme and a further allocation of resources from the GLA1.
Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel - Tuesday, 8th April, 2025 6.30 pm
The Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel met to discuss support for local arts and culture organisations, community wealth building, and the night-time economy in Greenwich. The panel agreed to recommend that the council improve communication about available support to arts organisations and explore the creation of a forum for these organisations to connect. Additionally, the panel recommended the creation of designated bays for delivery bikes in Woolwich.
Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 3rd April, 2025 6.30 pm
The Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel were scheduled to meet on 3 April 2025 to discuss strategic transport projects, a strategic asset review, and the Thames Path Connectivity and Upgrade Time-limited Review. The panel were also scheduled to discuss items for the next year’s work programme.
Decisions from Meetings
82 decisions · Page 1 of 17
Statement of Accounts
From: Council Special Meeting - Thursday, 26th February, 2026 7.00 pm - February 26, 2026
...the Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, including the Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Accounts and the Royal Borough of Greenwich Pension Fund Statement of Accounts, were approved.
Recommendations Approved
Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27+
From: Council Special Meeting - Thursday, 26th February, 2026 7.00 pm - February 26, 2026
...to provide for £35m of investment, including £22m for increasing costs due to demand and inflation, £9m for capital investment financing, and £1m for Freedom Pass, while also agreeing the proposed Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 to 2029/30, which includes a 2.00% adult social care precept and a 2.99% main council tax rate increase, and approving the allocation of £4.034m per year for the Department for Work and Pensions’ Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Recommendations Approved
Budget and Council Tax Setting 2026/27
From: Council Special Meeting - Thursday, 26th February, 2026 7.00 pm - February 26, 2026
...approved the council budget for 2026/27, agreed a 4.99% increase in the borough element of council tax (including a 2.99% increase for service delivery pressures and a 2% adult social care precept), and set the overall council tax levels, including a specific addition for taxpayers surrounding the Gloucester Circus garden.
Recommendations Approved
Treasury Management and Capital Strategy 2026/27
From: Council Special Meeting - Thursday, 26th February, 2026 7.00 pm - February 26, 2026
...approved the Treasury Management Strategy, Capital Strategy, Prudential Indicators, and Minimum Revenue Provision arrangements for 2026/27.
Recommendations Approved
Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Strategy & 2026/27 Budget and Rent Setting
From: Council Special Meeting - Thursday, 26th February, 2026 7.00 pm - February 26, 2026
...approved a 4.8% increase in council home rents, a 5.3% increase in tenant service charges, and other rent and charge adjustments to partially mitigate financial pressures on the Housing Revenue Account, while also agreeing to various cost-saving measures and funding allocations.
Recommendations Approved
Summary
Meetings Attended: 41
Average per Month: 1.7
Decisions Recorded: 82