Local help →Bexley, in numbers
Bexley council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
strength
Riverside Gardens is among the improvements the council reports delivered.
Proposed response: Connect the gardens to local activities and accessible town-centre routes.
What could help →strength
4.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Bexley council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Falconwood & Welling to 5.4% in Sidcup — a gap of 2 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →weakness
The council identifies a delivered community space at 68 Pier Road but gives no usage results.
Proposed response: Make its booking offer and community benefit visible.
What could help →weakness
Average private rent is £1,537 a month (August 2026) in Bexley council area. This is £78 higher than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9% in West Heath to 26.5% in Belvedere — a gap of 17.4 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →opportunity
Sidcup’s cinema and café reopened with a new operator in December 2025.
Proposed response: Link the revived venue to local schools, residents and businesses.
What could help →opportunity
16.6% of people in Bexley council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.8% in Slade Green & Northend to 21.7% in Bexleyheath — a gap of 12.8 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
31.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Bexley council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 15.4% in Longlands to 21.3% in Slade Green & Northend — a gap of 5.9 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Bexley council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.2% in Blackfen & Lamorbey to 25.8% in Slade Green & Northend — a gap of 12.7 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →threat
Erith’s new spaces and Sidcup’s reopened cinema need continuing management.
Proposed response: Separate building costs from the upkeep and operation needed afterwards.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Make Erith’s renewed riverfront an everyday destinationDelivered garden renewal; no footfall uplift has been measured here. | Council parks and town-centre teams | |
| A new room still needs a useful programmeA completed space is evidenced; capacity and uptake are not. | Council and community-space operator | |
| Build a dependable local cinema offerReopening is confirmed; long-term attendance and viability are not. | Cinema operator and Bexley Council | |
| Protect the investment after opening daySelected facilities are delivered or reopened; future running costs are not established here. | Council and venue operators | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,537 a month (August 2026) in Bexley council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 9% in West Heath to 26.5% in Belvedere — a gap of 17.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population16.6% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 8.8% in Slade Green & Northend to 21.7% in Bexleyheath — a gap of 12.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health4.3% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.4% in Falconwood & Welling to 5.4% in Sidcup — a gap of 2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities31.6% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 15.4% in Longlands to 21.3% in Slade Green & Northend — a gap of 5.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.2% in Blackfen & Lamorbey to 25.8% in Slade Green & Northend — a gap of 12.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 17 of 17 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |