Bromley residents expect their council to look after public buildings, spend money wisely, run services properly and be straight with people. For years, Conservative-led Bromley has sold off key civic assets, and local government watchdogs have repeatedly found them to be in the wrong and fighting residents.

Under the Conservatives, fly tipping, messy recycling arrangements, potholes popping up year after year and endless roadworks have too often been treated as the cost of doing business, while climate action has been grudging and piecemeal. Bromley Labour will get a grip on the basics, repair our services and work with residents to make sure Bromley Council is delivering the services residents pay for.

Bromley Labour will fix the basics and restore trust by protecting what matters, investing in modern services and putting residents back at the heart of every decision.

Summary

• Investing in Bromley and ending ‘fire sale’
• Genuine transformation – a competent, modern council that works for residents
• Giving back control – ending secrecy and making the council open by design
• Common sense changes – better value for your money

1.1 Ending the Conservative’s sell-off

The Conservatives allowed Bromley’s public buildings and assets to deteriorate until the repair bill reached around £180 million. Their response has been to panic-sell community buildings, often below valuation, to private developers.

Bromley Labour will:

• Halt the ‘fire sale’ of public assets on day one
• Protect community centres, children’s centres, youth facilities and other vital public assets
• Carry out a full review of building safety, priority repairs and long-term options, with residents involved in decisions about local sites

We are not proposing to buy back sites the Conservatives have already sold, but we will draw a line under this failed approach.

1.2 Investing Bromley’s money in Bromley

Bromley taxpayers’ money should work for Bromley residents, not be tied up in speculative deals across the country or overseas.

Bromley Labour will:

• Wind down failing external investments such as properties in Crawley and Bournemouth and deposits abroad
• Reinvest those funds into local service improvement and infrastructure
• Introduce an Investment Transparency Code so residents can see where money is invested and why
• Consult residents on and adopt an Ethical investment Policy

1.3 A competent, modern, resident-focused council

The Conservatives’ “Transformation Programme” is cuts dressed up as reform. Bromley Labour will deliver genuine transformation.

We will:

• Redesign key services end to end instead of salami slicing budgets
• Make services digital by default, while retaining strong phone and face-to-face options for people who need them
• Introduce a Service Standards Charter with clear response times and published performance data

Bromley Labour will not only fix what is broken now, but also prepare Bromley for the future. While the Conservatives have lurched from one-year budgets to one-off cuts, selling off assets and relying on short-term fixes, we will set a clear long-term direction for the borough and use every pound wisely to support that plan. Our aim is a council that plans ahead, invests in what works and is open with residents about the choices we face.

1.4 Reducing traffic disruption

We will introduce a “War on Roadworks” strategy that:

• Coordinates utilities more effectively
• Reduces unnecessary or overlapping roadworks
• Publishes regular information about planned works and diversions

1.5 Genuine transformation

We will:

• Use technology to simplify processes, reduce duplication and speed up decisions
• Modernise front-line systems so staff have the tools they need to deliver for residents
• Remove waste and bureaucracy so more resource can go into front-line services

1.6 A borough that works for its residents

We will:

• Involve residents early in major decisions, not only at the end of the process
• Use citizens panels, deliberative exercises and targeted engagement to hear from those who are often not heard
• Ensure feedback loops back so residents can see how input has influenced final decisions

1.7 Long-term vision and the Bromley Local Plan

Bromley already has a statutory Local Plan which sits alongside the London Plan and guides planning decisions. It was written under the Conservatives and is increasingly out of date and out of touch with the needs of our borough, particularly on housing, town centres, climate and transport.

Under Labour, that Local Plan, and the wider direction for the borough, will be reviewed through the lens of our housing, climate and transport priorities.

We will:

• Set out a clear long-term vision for Bromley to 2040 covering housing and growth, climate and environment, transport and infrastructure, community investment and digital modernisation
• Review the Bromley Local Plan at the appropriate time to make sure it reflects that vision, meets updated London wide planning requirements and responds to residents’ priorities on homes, jobs, high streets and green space
• Ensure that this long-term vision aligns with the London-wide Local Growth Plan led by the Mayor of London, so Bromley is in the strongest possible position to secure investment and support for our own priorities

1.8 A more open, democratic council

Residents should not have to fight to be heard. A Bromley Labour-led council will be open by design and will start to give residents more of a say in how their area is run.

We will:

• Livestream all council meetings and keep recordings available online
• Allow residents to submit questions and petitions online, without needing to attend the Civic Centre
• Create a Resident Scrutiny Panel to comment on executive decisions before they are taken
• Introduce a Contract Scrutiny System where residents can raise concerns about major contracts and commissioned services
• Publish key documents by default, including Biggin Hill Airport Consultative Committee minutes and Bromley Friends’ Forum minutes

We believe that Labour-led councils should give residents more of a say in how their local community and council are run.

We will:

• Pilot citizens’ panels or similar deliberative exercises on major issues, for example the future of town centres or significant service changes
• Pilot participatory budgeting in at least one part of the borough so residents can help decide how a small local budget is spent
• Adopt a new approach in areas where development takes place, so both existing and new residents have a say in how money from developer contributions is used to improve their area
• Use Neighbourhood CIL (Community Investment Levy) to fund local priorities identified by residents, with clear information about how much is available in each area and how it is spent

Where income is raised from developers through planning gain and levies, we will follow the lead of other Labour-led boroughs by creating clear local priorities that are openly shaped and ranked with residents.

On Biggin Hill Airport, residents have waited years for a revised Noise Action Plan. Bromley Labour will launch an open, cross-party process involving residents’ groups, Flightpathwatch and the airport to agree a new, binding plan that reduces noise and pollution.

1.9 Closing the digital divide

As more services move online, no one should be left behind because they cannot afford a device or connection, or lack digital skills.

We will:

• Work with schools and voluntary organisations to improve access to affordable devices and data for low-income households
• Provide free or low-cost digital skills sessions in libraries, community centres and sheltered housing schemes, including tailored support for older and disabled residents
• Make sure that every time we move a service online, people can still access it easily by phone or in person

1.10 Stable funding and better value for money

National Labour has pledged multi-year funding settlements for councils, an end to wasteful competitive bidding and a reformed local audit system so taxpayers get better value.

Bromley Labour will:

• Use any multi-year funding settlement from a Labour government to plan sensibly, avoid crisis budgets and focus on long-term priorities for residents
• Stop wasting officer time and money on competitive bidding games and instead concentrate on delivering the best outcomes with the funding we receive
• Strengthen our own approach to value for money and internal audit, so residents can see clearly how funds are used and what difference they make
• Scrap the costly “Our Bromley” glossy magazine and replace it with a simple, low-cost e-newsletter and targeted printed updates for residents who need paper copies, including practical information like bank holiday refuse and recycling changes

We will also argue strongly for a fair national funding settlement for London. While the Government reviews the way councils are funded through its Fair Funding Review, Bromley Labour will press for a formula that recognises the real cost of services in outer London, from adult social care to temporary accommodation, and we will oppose any attempt to shift resources away from London’s needs.

1.11 An ethical, responsible council

Residents should be able to trust that their council is a good employer, a responsible purchaser and a fair taxpayer.

Bromley Labour will:

• Sign the Modern Slavery Charter and use our purchasing power to help drive out exploitation from our supply chains, including regular checks on high-risk contracts
• Seek accreditation as a Fair Tax Council so that the Council and its companies meet high standards on responsible, transparent tax conduct
• Report publicly each year on how we are meeting these commitments, so residents can see that Bromley is living its values
• Adopt an Ethical Investment Policy – covering both council assets and the Council’s Pension scheme (in consultation with scheme members)

1.12 A Council that reflects and works for our communities

We will:

• Work to ensure the Council’s workforce, including senior leadership, better reflects the communities it serves
• Publish workforce data and actions we are taking to improve representation
• Ensure all Council decisions fully consider Equality Impact Assessments and the impact on all residents
• Develop a Bromley Equalities Plan with clear actions on race equality, disability, gender, sexuality, age and faith
• Shape the plan with local communities, voluntary groups and experts
• Publish progress each year

How Labour’s national plans support this locally:

• Multi-year funding settlements and a reformed audit regime will give Bromley the stability to plan ahead, invest in long-term priorities and avoid crisis budgets and fire sales
• Labour’s commitment to devolving more power to local leaders will give Bromley greater scope to redesign services with residents, rather than simply administering cuts from Whitehall
• National standards on transparency, ethical procurement and fair tax will reinforce our local plans to be an open, responsible and resident focused council
• Mission driven government, multi-year settlements and reformed local audit will help Bromley move away from short-term fixes and plan confidently for our 2040 vision
• National devolution and growth plans, agreed with the Mayor of London and London Councils, will channel investment into the infrastructure, homes and jobs Bromley needs to deliver its long-term Local Plan and regeneration priorities
• Country-wide action on clean energy, digital infrastructure and modern public services will support Bromley to modernise its own operations and services so residents see the benefits of change on the ground
• National equalities and anti-discrimination measures will give Bromley stronger tools and clearer expectations for tackling discrimination, hate crime and systemic unfairness across local services
• Labour’s focus on reducing health and opportunity gaps will align with our Bromley Equalities Plan, helping us to target resources and attention where inequality is greatest
• National support for civil society, faith groups and community organisations will complement our local partnerships with the voluntary and community sector to build a more welcoming, cohesive borough