Our Council Plan

Kensington and Chelsea is a unique place, home to places of great cultural importance and diverse communities. We are a central London borough, which comes with complex challenges but also significant opportunities. We have the smallest population of any London borough at 153,700. Early forecasts suggest that London’s population may even decline for the first time in 35 years due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit with RBKC anticipated to follow the same trend. This may have future implications for London’s economy and workforce.

Over half our residents were born outside of the UK. Our communities come from all over the world and include significant North American, European, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, South American and Caribbean populations, who have profoundly shaped the character of the area. Our residents value this diversity and so we will continue to foster inclusiveness in all that we do.

The borough hosts many nationally and internationally recognised cultural attractions. North Kensington is an area known around the world for its vibrant cultural heritage, musical authenticity and proud history. Notting Hill Carnival, Kensington Palace, the Natural History, Science and Design Museums are just some of our landmark institutions, as well as world class retail stores and unique independent shops and markets, including the world-famous Portobello Market. As the country, London and the borough continue to recover from Covid, the council will work closely with local businesses, institutions, and central London partners to maintain this unique cultural mix.

The average price of homes sold locally last year was £2m, the highest in London. This means the borough remains the most expensive place to buy a house in the country. Whilst the Council is supporting the development of affordable housing through its New Homes Programme, genuinely affordable housing remains far too scarce, and this remains a top priority for our residents.

Many employed residents are in high skilled work and well-paying professions. At the same time, there remain areas of significant deprivation, particularly in the north of the borough and in parts of the south and west. Overall, our borough continues to have the highest life expectancy in the country, however this varies between the north and the south, between people from different ethnic minorities, and between homeowners, private renters and those in social housing. These existing inequalities have been exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in our ongoing focus on narrowing the gap as set out in this Council Plan.

The Grenfell tragedy continues to shape and affect the lives of survivors and bereaved, local residents and wider groups, both locally and nationally. Our borough will forever be defined by this tragedy. As we move forward, we will continue to work in partnership with our residents to deliver an effective community-led recovery programme and to engage with the Public Inquiry and its recommendations in an open and transparent way to ensure we learn every possible lesson from this tragedy.

Communities

• 56,000 visitors (prior to the pandemic) on an average day. More people come through South Kensington tube station each year than through London Heathrow Terminal 5.
• 4,331 children in poverty and 6,783 in low income households.
• 1 in 4 residents and 1 in 2 children in secondary school speak French, Arabic or Spanish as their main language.

Environment

• 153,700 residents (2021 projections) in 4.7 square miles (smallest borough) making it one of the most densely populated areas in Europe
• The Council collects rubbish and recycling twice weekly from 93,000 households
• 23% household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting
• 26 parks including 10 green flags
• We have installed 544 lamp column chargers and 116 Source London chargers

Culture and heritage

• The Council provides 6 libraries and 2 leisure centres, 7 theatres and over 15 museums, including three of the most visited museums in the UK
• We have over 4,000 listed buildings and 177 English Heritage Blue Plaques
• Up to 1 million people each year come to Notting Hill Carnival, the largest street festival in Europe
• 4,000 listed buildings and 177 English Heritage Blue Plaques

Education

• 100% of our schools are rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted
• 77% of RBKC school students sustained education, apprenticeship or employment

Health and Care

• The highest life expectancy in the country (2nd hightest for men and highest for women) more than 5 years higher than the national average; at least 9 years lower in the most deprived areas
• 72% of adults are physically active (as per the definition from PHE of 150mins moderate intensity exercise per week)
• Over 275,000 first, second and booster Covid vaccination doses have been administered in the borough
• 1,500 adults receiving social care support

Economy

• With 15,800 businesses and 148,000 jobs
• Retail, food and beverage, accommodation, head office, real estate, publishing and creative industries are the borough’s key sectors.
• 4,900 residents are unemployed, with rates varying significantly by ethnicity and area
• Universal Credit Claimants 11,127

Transport

• We maintain 190km of roads and 380km of pavements
• 12 underground stations with over 150 million entries and exits each year.
• All residents are within a three-minute walk of a car club
• 8km of new 'quietways' for safer cycling

Housing

• 19,871 households live in social housing
• 68,366 private sector dwellings
• Over 2,000 households living in temporary accommodation