Councillor Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE was first elected to the London Borough of Bexley to represent Brampton Ward in 1998 and has been successfully re-elected since then albeit, following the voluntary Ward boundary changes in 2018, she moved to Crook Log Ward which incorporated a great deal of Brampton Ward.
She has been the Leader of the Council since May 2008 & successfully led the team through 4 election campaigns in 2010, 2014, 2018 & 2022 – the 2022 campaign resulting in Bexley becoming the most secure Conservative Council in London.
In addition to the electoral success under her leadership, the Council has delivered many other achievements including the new Civic Offices (which saved taxpayers £2m a year in running costs & created housing/job opportunities), significant regeneration projects in Crayford, Erith, Sidcup, Slade Green & Thamesmead (with more to do), new schools (including for children with special needs), led the partnership to deliver the QMS campus (including the Urgent Care Centre, Dialysis & Cancer Centres), delivered the pandemic response (including the Community Champions scheme to reach across our community) & sought to transform services rather than cut them to deliver value for money for our residents – we also saved Bexleyheath Police Station from closure by Mayor Khan.
When appointed Leader she was only the 4th Conservative woman Council Leader in London (there have been others since) and she is the longest serving Council Leader.
She is currently Vice Chair (leader of the Conservative group) on London Councils, Deputy Chair (Conservative peer for London) of the Local Government Association, a former Board Member of Homes England & has regional responsibilities within the Conservative Party as well.
Her career background was in financial services sector.
She was awarded the Order of the British Empire (Officer) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2015 for service to the community and local government in London, the Freedom of the City of London in April 2022 for her part in the London wide strategic Covid planning/response work & made a life peer (Baroness) in November 2022.