Citizens' Panel - A Fairer Kensington and Chelsea

Overview

A Fairer Kensington and Chelsea:

An Action Plan to tackle Inequality, celebrate Diversity and promote Inclusion

Our Council Plan sets out a clear ambition to be a fairer borough for our residents. We are developing a new Fairer Action Plan to support us in meeting this goal.

The draft actions and priorities are shaped by what we have heard from residents over the past year. We are asking for your feedback to check we are focused on the right areas and to test our thinking about how we might address these. What we hear will help us to draw up the final Action Plan, due to be launched in early 2025.

Kensington and Chelsea has enormous strengths to build on, including a vibrant diverse community.  However, the borough also faces major challenges, including stark levels of inequality. We know:

• There are significant variations in household income across the borough, with some of the wealthiest households in the country and some of the most deprived. Household Income after housing costs in 2020 was estimated at £22,600 in the Golborne area, and for Brompton and Hans Town area this was £63,900.
• We have relatively high unemployment but also high levels of skills and training, showing a difference between education and training and employment outcomes.
• Deprivation is greatest in areas of the borough with high levels of social housing. 49% of RBKC’s social housing is in our three most deprived wards (Golborne, Notting Dale and Dalgarno).​
• Statistics show that deprivation is greater for residents who either have a disability, are from a black ethnic background, are Muslim, are older or are a single parent.

The Grenfell tragedy was a powerful reminder of the fact that many people in the borough, especially those in social housing, feel left out and left behind.

Since Grenfell, the Council has carried out a range of projects to support a fairer borough. For example, we are:

• Working with Public Health colleagues to address health inequalities through a range of initiatives working in our local areas to help people manage their health and wellbeing better.
• Providing direct cash payments to residents to support with the rising cost of living including initiatives like the K&C Foundation Cash First Payment and a scheme for a one-off £100 cash transfer to over 13,000 residents on the lowest incomes in the borough.
• Making it easier for residents to use online services, including support to build confidence, skills, access devices and connectivity through the work of the Digital Inclusion Team.
• Developing a Social Investment approach to ensure new building projects deliver important social outcomes for our local communities, such as employment opportunities.

The Fairer Action Plan will help to make sure the Council is doing what it can to tackle the drivers of inequality and deprivation in the borough and improve life chances for our residents. This is not an easy task and there are aspects not in the Council’s gift.  Addressing inequality and deprivation also requires action from central government and from key partners, such as the NHS, the Police and the voluntary and community sector.

The Plan will build on action we are already taking to improve opportunities and outcomes for residents in areas where the Council does have some influence. This means redoubling our efforts to ensure that our services are as accessible as possible, that they are making a difference and that we are targeting them effectively to support those most in need.

The Plan will also need to show how we meet our three main legal duties under the Equality Act 2010: (i) to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, (ii) to advance equality of opportunity and (iii) to foster good relations between people.

Why your views matter

We want to make it as easy as possible for people to share their views.  You can ask for this survey in another language by emailing corporatestrategy@rbkc.gov.uk or complete it with someone over the phone by calling, 07890 604860. This survey should take no longer than 15 minutes.