Kensington and Chelsea has been a Conservative majority council since its creation in 1965. Currently, the Tories hold a comfortable majority with 36 out of 50 seats. However, in an unpredictable political climate, their control is being challenged by Labour, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and the Greens.
Candidate Lineup
Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK are each fielding the maximum 50 candidates. The Greens have 25 candidates, and there are four independent candidates.
Conservative Manifesto
The Conservatives aim to retain control with key pledges:
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- Communities: Make Portobello safer, greener, and more resilient; transform Gloucester Road with wider pavements and more trees; open three new parks at Lots Road, Earl's Court, and Kensal.
- Grenfell Community: Implement the Grenfell inquiry's recommendations and deliver promises made.
- Housing and Services: Provide 65 new care units, 80 new homes in Barlby Road, raise council home standards, and replace old customer service systems hit by cyber attack.
- Economy and Finance: Enhance Kensington Park Road dining, keep council tax in London's lowest quartile, focus on resident priorities, and run balanced budgets.
- Environment and Transport: Guarantee twice-weekly bin collections, protect resident parking permits, reopen Albert Bridge to vehicles, oppose LTNs, and launch a 'Report It' app for reporting issues.
Labour Manifesto
Labour's key policies include:
- Community and Cost-of-Living: Lobby for Golborne Youth Club's return, deploy antisocial behaviour wardens, expand CCTV, offer free swimming for under-16s, expand School Streets with camera enforcement, and provide free uniforms for needy families.
- Grenfell Community: Ensure council honours Grenfell commitments and re-establish the Grenfell Recovery Scrutiny Committee.
- Housing and Services: Put RBKC housing department into special measures, provide free adult home-care, regulate short-term lets, register private landlords with multiple properties, and create a private leaseholder charter.
- Economy and Finance: Resist 24-hour night-time economy plans, create a community asset register, and increase council tax on second homes.
- Environment and Transport: Deliver flood defence recommendations, expand rooftop solar, support resident groups on Kensal Canalside, allow Cycle Superhighway 9 through the borough, fight dockless e-bikes, secure step-free access at Ladbroke Grove station, and continue work on the East-West Link underpass.
Liberal Democrat Manifesto
The Lib Dems pledge:
- Communities: Campaign for visible police presence, establish police hubs and forums, tackle antisocial behaviour hotspots, and protect high street character via planning powers.
- Housing and Services: Strengthen short-term let enforcement, back tenants against poor conditions, ensure landlord legal compliance, bring empty homes back into use, and act on long-term vacant properties.
- Economy and Finance: Champion business applications that benefit high streets, and make RBKC a fairer borough.
- Environment and Transport: Reduce rat-running via speed enforcement, support sustainable travel, protect public transport from cuts, create protected cycle routes and healthy school streets, introduce a 'carbon budget', and maintain twice-weekly bin collections while improving recycling.
Reform UK Priorities
Reform UK focuses on:
- Communities: Ensure residents' best interests, be a strong local voice, fight for increased policing, and address violence against women and girls.
- Economy and Finance: Prioritise crucial services over the 'Net Zero agenda', and criticise the current council as a "mess".
- Housing and Services: Direct taxpayer money to frontline services.
Green Party Priorities
The Greens emphasise:
- Housing: Tackle repairs and damp, reduce social housing waiting lists, and push for genuinely affordable homes.
- Communities: Create safe spaces for youth, expand career pathways, address root causes of antisocial behaviour and knife crime, and call for divestment from companies profiting from the occupation of Palestine.
- Economy and Finance: Keep high streets vibrant, adopt a relaxed licensing approach in Soho, and prevent pricing out due to high rents.
- Environment: Ensure safe, clean streets with more bins, action on fly-tipping and dog fouling, and protect parks and green spaces.
For more information on London's local elections, see our full guide.
