Bexley Council’s leader Teresa O’Neill is to step down in November after 17 years in the role.
The Conservative councillor – who became Baroness O’Neill of Bexley when she was appointed to the House of Lords three years ago – will also step down from the council at the next elections in May.
Bexley Council said that O’Neill, who has been a councillor for 27 years, decided to step down as leader before the elections to ensure a “seamless transition” to her replacement.
She said: “ I was elevated to the House of Lords shortly after the election in 2022 but, having committed to a further four years at the election, I was determined to fulfil that commitment.
“I remain deeply committed to the borough and our residents, as indeed I am one, but it is now time for me to focus on my work as a peer. I intend to continue fighting Bexley’s corner in parliament, which offers a platform for promoting the borough’s interests nationally.”
Bexley’s Conservative councillors will pick a successor in the coming weeks, with the new leader set to be formally ratified at the borough’s next full council meeting on November 5.
A Bexley Council spokesperson said: “Under her leadership, the council has delivered many achievements including the new civic offices; significant regeneration projects in Thamesmead, Erith, Crayford, Welling and Slade Green, with more to do; new schools , including for children with special educational needs; leading the partnership to deliver the Queen Mary’s Hospital Sidcup campus; delivering the pandemic response; saving Bexleyheath police station from closure and seeking to transform services rather than cut them to deliver value for money for our residents.”
Cameron Blackshaw is the Local Democracy Reporter for Bexley. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media.
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.