Dexter Smith

Cllr Dexter Smith - political bio: Dexter Smith has been a councillor for Colnbrook and Poyle on Slough Borough Council (SBC) since the year 2000, (2000 to 2008, and again from 2011 to present), retiring in May 2027. During this time he has performed many duties for the Council, including being its Leader, from May 2023 to May 2026. In 2016, he took early retirement from East Berkshire College, (where he was teaching Economics and Business Studies, 1998-2016). He has twice served as Conservative Group Leader on Slough Borough Council. The first time was 2004 to 2008, when he led the smaller of two groups that formed a Joint Administration that ran the Council for that same period. During this time he was the Lead Member for Planning, Transport, Legal and Democratic Services, (and he brought forward the masterplan for the “Heart of Slough” redevelopment of the town centre in 2007, plus an early version of the Slough Trading Estate simplified planning zone). Dexter became Conservative Group Leader for a second time in January 2023, to lead the Official Opposition and the Group’s response to Best Value Intervention following Slough’s issuing of a Section 114 Notice in 2022. He became Leader of Slough Borough Council in May 2023 after winning 50% of council seats in the all-out election, leading a minority Conservative Administration in no-overall control, (which remains in office after he stepped down in May 2026, delivering a fully-funded Transformation Programme, intended to end the Council’s need for Exceptional Financial Support by its Spring 2028 target date, and to convert SBC into a “Best Value” Council). Whilst a back-bench member of Slough Borough Council he twice served as Vice-Chair of SBC’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee from 2012 to 2014, and previously 2002 to 2004. He has also served on numerous scrutiny panels and Task & Finish groups. Between 2003 and 2008, Dexter was a member of the Board of Directors of People 1st (Slough) Ltd., an ALMO managing the