Our vision for Kingston

Our vision for Kingston is for it to be a vibrant, green, diverse and inclusive borough, where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. Our draft Council Plan, which sets out our vision and priorities over the next four years, will see us work with partners and communities to ensure the borough is:

• Safer: Our borough stays safe, well maintained and resilient so individuals and communities can thrive and prosper. 

• Fairer: Our children and young people have a fairer start in life and residents are supported when needed throughout their lifetime. Inequality has been reduced and every resident has increased opportunities for a happy and healthy life.

• Greener: We are a greener and more sustainable borough and on track to meet our net zero carbon targets. 

• Together: We have strong relationships with partners and work together with our communities to achieve our shared ambitions.

We have a Future Council commitment to ensure that the Council is ready for the future, is managed effectively and responsibly in the best interests of our communities and delivery is supported by high-quality services.

Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other. Additionally, Kingston in the past was home to the aviation industry, and both Sopwith and Hawker planes were built in the borough.  

We have an ambitious community empowerment agenda, and our Community Hubs programme will allow services to be brought into communities, closer to residents and give us additional presence throughout the borough.

We have embraced Transformation and Hybrid Working through our Future Workplace Programme, ensuring that Kingston is a vibrant, forward-thinking council that is fit for the challenges of the future and that residents continue to get access to high quality and flexible services. As a council, there is a strong belief in doing the basics right - making sure we provide honest and excellent day-to-day services that have a lasting impact on residents’ lives. By doing the small things well that people rely upon and value, it builds trust and maintains reputation, as well as further strengthening our communities.  

We are committed to tackling climate change and for Kingston to be carbon neutral by 2038. We are working towards finding sustainable solutions towards a carbon-neutral future that protects our environment.  We want to create environments in which both people and wildlife can thrive alongside one another enabling us to combat both the climate and ecological crisis at a local level.

We want to use Kingston’s unique heritage to reimagine the area and ignite a vibrant cultural scene, and create a progressive and dynamic future. Our commitment is to a strong and diverse local economy to nurture its connection to culture and heritage, as well as building new sustainable homes for people from all walks of life.

The Royal Borough of Kingston-on-Thames is one of the 32 London boroughs with a population of 180,000.

• The Liberal Democrats are the controlling political administration of the council, occupying 42 of the 48 seats available. 

• The Opposition Group are the largest opposition with four members, with two from the Conservative Party