We Asked, You Said, We Did

How residents currently take part in consultation about local services or problems in their local area and what changes they would like to see in the way decisions are made in the borough to make participation more meaningful.

This was completed through pre-engagement focus groups and meetings, an online survey open to all residents and our Citizens’ Panel and additional meetings with different communities across the borough, including Kensington and Chelsea staff.

A key message from the 500+ respondents to the Charter Consultation was a desire to see genuine and consistent coproduction and codesign from the start of a council-initiated change, process or decision wherever possible, including how the updates are made to the new Charter for Public Participation.

Other consistent feedback included respondents saying the best way to show we are listening is by feeding back directly to participants and explaining how decisions were shaped by their views.

We're listening to residents and codesigning the new Charter commitments. A diverse group of 15 residents and council staff are meeting over July to September, facilitated independently, to build on the public consultation findings and finalise the updated Charter for publication in late 2025.

A more detailed ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’ statement will be published after this codesign period.

How residents currently take part in consultation about local services or problems in their local area and what changes they would like to see in the way decisions are made in the borough to make participation more meaningful.

This was completed through pre-engagement focus groups and meetings, an online survey open to all residents and our Citizens’ Panel and additional meetings with different communities across the borough, including Kensington and Chelsea staff.

A key message from the 500+ respondents to the Charter Consultation was a desire to see genuine and consistent coproduction and codesign from the start of a council-initiated change, process or decision wherever possible, including how the updates are made to the new Charter for Public Participation.

Other consistent feedback included respondents saying the best way to show we are listening is by feeding back directly to participants and explaining how decisions were shaped by their views.

We're listening to residents and codesigning the new Charter commitments. A diverse group of 15 residents and council staff are meeting over July to September, facilitated independently, to build on the public consultation findings and finalise the updated Charter for publication in late 2025.

A more detailed ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’ statement will be published after this codesign period.

We asked for views on a proposal to amend the current traffic order for Albert Bridge, so that the existing ban on vehicles weighing more than 3 tonnes would only apply to goods vehicles and not to all vehicles.

We received one objection to the proposals.

We have made the amendment to the traffic order as originally advertised.

Whether the Council should implement a School Street closure between the times of 8.00 – 9.00am and 3.15 - 4.00pm during term time, in St Albans Grove where Thomas's Kensington School is relocating. 

Thirty-five responses were received, with 18 respondents (51%) supporting the School Street in full, eight respondents (23%) supporting the proposals in part, and nine (26%) objecting to the scheme.

After consideration of all responses received, the Director of Transport and
Regulatory Services has agreed to proceed with the new School Street on St Albans Grove from September 2025, under a Permanent Traffic Order. 

If new cycle hangars should be implemented in Campden Grove, Lexham Gardens, Oakley Street and St James's Gardens and whether a cargo bike hangar should be implemented in Onslow Square.

In Campden Grove, 44 respondents supported and 8 objected to the proposal.
In Lexham Gardens, 11 respondents supported, 1 supported in part and 1 objected to the proposal.
In Oakley Street, 7 respondents supported and 4 objected to the proposal.
In Onslow Square, all 10 respondents supported the proposal.
In St James's Gardens, 4 respondents supported and 2 objected to the proposal.

The Council has decided to proceed with all proposals.

We recently carried out an eight-week consultation on the draft Housing Strategy and asked for your views on this. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback to us – it is greatly appreciated.

We consulted with residents and stakeholders through an online survey on this site, focus groups, various meetings, and attending community events and spaces.

The online survey asked the following questions:

1. Overall, do you find the draft Housing Strategy clear and easy to understand?
2. Do you support the main aims of the draft Housing Strategy?
3. Is there anything you expected to see in the draft Housing Strategy which is not there?
4. Do you have any other comments about the draft Housing Strategy?

We received 74 responses through the online survey.

• 76% of respondents found the draft Housing Strategy clear and easy to understand
• 77% of respondents supported the main aims of the draft Strategy
• 54% of respondents expected to see something in the Strategy which was not there.

There were a wide range of themes raised during the consultation through the online survey and consultation events, which included:

• More detail on how the commitments will be delivered and turned into change, and how delivery of the Strategy will be reported
• How can the Council hold housing associations to account and help to improve standards for their tenants, including in relation to repairs and the condition of homes – and poor standards in the private rented sector should be addressed
• More social housing and affordable housing should be delivered, including though new developments, and green spaces on estates should be promoted
• The Council should prioritise housing for those waiting longest and local people, and ensure that those working in the borough have affordable housing
• There should be more homelessness support and help for households in temporary accommodation, including driving up safety and standards, reducing the use of hotels for families, and better supporting households living outside the borough
• The Council should ensure the maintenance and safety of existing housing stock, including in relation to damp, mould and repairs; the Council should prioritise tackling antisocial behaviour; and empty and second homes should be brought into use
• There should be a stronger focus on meeting the needs of families with children; and more meaningful resident engagement, including involving people with lived experience
• There was a preference for simpler language, summaries, easy read formats and visual guides.

The feedback from the consultation has helped us to finalise the new Housing Strategy, which you can find here. The changes made to the Strategy following the consultation feedback include:

• More detail provided on how the Strategy will be delivered, and how progress against the commitments will be measured and reported – in particular, through a yearly progress report, and related plans, strategies and policies sitting underneath the Housing Strategy
• A separate commitment on housing associations, explaining that they are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, and the Council will work in partnership with housing associations to help improve standards for their 13,000 tenants in the borough
• Detail added to explain the percentage of community (affordable) housing that should be delivered on public and private land through new developments, and how much of this should be at social rent and intermediate housing, as set out in the Local Plan 2024
• Emphasis on helping local residents added to the wording of the first priority – this is complemented by the commitment to prioritise the housing needs of local residents where possible
• A commitment included to develop a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, as many of the points made about homelessness and temporary accommodation will be addressed in greater detail through this Strategy
• Greater emphasis given to supporting families with children throughout the Strategy, including in relation to accessing suitable homes and supporting families in temporary accommodation
• A separate commitment included on driving up standards in the private rented sector, and explaining that Environmental Health will be required to enforce against poor standards under the forthcoming Renters’ Rights Act
• Specific reference made to involving people with lived experience and embedding the revised Charter for Public Participation
• Commitments made to promote digital inclusion, support residents to overcome barriers to accessing digital and online services, and do more to communicate with people in an accessible way, which aligns with the new Fairer Action Plan
• An addition made to explain that we address the number of empty homes in the borough through charging a council tax premium on empty properties
• We will produce a summary document and easy read version of the Strategy to promote accessibility amongst residents. 

We asked for your views and feedback on the three high-level outline design proposals for a new open space at Lots Road on the Thames Tideway tunnel site located behind Lots Road Pumping Station. The resident “have your say” on the designs was part of the tender process and residents of the Chelsea Riverside ward were invited to review the proposals and select their preferred design. Residents were also asked for general comments and suggestions on the designs and the new open space proposal.

Survey responses 75.

Design proposals:

Respondents were asked to review the three designs options presented and select their preferred design: A total of thirty-nine percent preferred Design one, thirty-seven percent of respondents preferred Design two and twenty-four percent preferred Design three.

Respondents were asked if they had any other feedback or comments on creating a new open space at Lots Road: A number of themes were highlighted by the response these included comments on green space and amenities, accessibility and inclusion, areas for physical activity and sports, support for the proposal or specific design options,  additional ideas such as a café or farmers market, practical issues regarding the proposed designs, safety concerns and toilets/accessible toilets.

Design proposals: The results of the resident’s preferred design were collated along with the council officers tender scores.

The overall scores of both these elements resulted in Design 1 receiving the highest overall score and being selected as the chosen designer to work with the community on the proposed design.

The selected designer and council officers will hold further design workshops with residents and organisations in June and July 2025.

Other comments and Feedback: All the other comments received will be reviewed shared with the selected designer to see how they can be incorporated into the new open space design or potentially provided or incorporated at other nearby sites like Westfield Park and Cremorne Gardens.

Toilets and Accessible Toilets: Although the provision of toilet facilities has been suggested by a number of residents in the feedback, due to the flexible nature of the site at Lots Road and the maintenance requirements for the Thames Tideway tunnel, it will not be possible to provide dedicated toilets facilities in the new open space. Instead, we will look to signpost and direct people to the public toilet facilities in neighbouring parks at Cremorne Gardens and Westfield Park. There is also currently a plan in place to provide an accessible changing places toilet facility at Westfield Park.

Works: It is currently estimated that construction work to create the new open space will begin in 2026.

We asked for views on proposals altering the parking allocation in the Wornington Green and Sloane Square areas in the March 2025 Miscellaneous Parking Changes.

We received a total of 66 objections regarding the Wornington Green Phase 2b part of the proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised.

We asked for views on proposals to create a one-way except cycles north-eastbound restriction for the full length of Cantle Mews, and a one-way except cycles south-westbound restriction for the full length of Wheatstone Gardens.

We did not receive any objections to the proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised.

We asked for views on proposed changes of the parking provision within the Balfour of Burleigh, Henry Dickens Court and Portobello Court housing estates.

We received no objections or letters of support in relation to the proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised.

We asked for views on 47 proposals in the February 2025 Miscellaneous Parking Changes.

We received a total of 26 objections, one letter of support and one comment across 12 of the on-street parking proposals.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised apart from the proposals relating to Hogarth Road and St Alban’s Grove, which were dropped in their entirety.  The proposals relating to Beauchamp Place and Walton Street were deferred to a later date and the proposal relating to Pitt Street was amended following the consultation.

The Panel survey on making the borough safer focussed on gaining a better understanding of what would make Panel members feel safer in the borough and gain an insight into Panel members’ experiences of crime and antisocial behaviour as a witness and/or victim. This survey is an annual survey which began in 2022 so it is possible to benchmark reults against the previous results to identify changes in opinions, attitudes, and experiences. 

The full results of the survey were taken to the Safer K and C Board which has senior representation from council services, police, criminal justice agencies and health services, thus ensuring senior decision makers from across key stakeholders are aware of the results. The findings will be used to refine community safety strategies and planning over the coming year. Where possible details on where respondents do not feel safe will inform operational taskings for CCTV, Street Enforcement Team and Police. These will be used alongside the business-as-usual practice of crime and disorder data. Results will also be used to ensure we continue to focus on the crime and antisocial behaviour priorities of our residents, for example, the results were used alongside other evidence and undertanding of local experiences as part of a deep dive review of antisocial behaviour.  The results will regualrly be used throughout the year as community safety projects are developed to help inform them and develop better community responses. 

we regularly go to this report throughout the year as we develop community safety projects to help inform them and develop better community responses.

We asked for residents views on proposed changes to the Repairs Recharge Policy.

We received two responses to the consultation.

One respondent found the policy clear and easy to understand (one did not answer). One respondent made a comment about support for vulnerable tenants.

As a result of the feedback more clarity has been added to the vulnerable tenants section of the policy.

The Policy has now been agreed and signed off by the Council.

For residents views on proposed changes to the Decants Policy.

We received one response to the consultation. 

The respondent felt the policy was clear and easy to understand and the responsibilities of both the Council and tenants was clear.

As a result of the consultation the Policy has now been signed off and adopted.

We asked for residents views on proposed changes to the Voids and Lettings Policy.

We received no responses to the consultation.

We have adopted the Policy with one minor addition at the request of the Lead Member for Housing: 

"When a tenant moves out of a property, we will aim to carry out compliance checks and any relevant works as quickly as possible, to help those waiting for suitable housing”

We asked for views on the proposal to introduce second home permits which would be available for use under the same conditions, including at the same times and in the same parking places, as the Council’s on-street residents’ permits. Second home permits would be available to those liable to pay Council Tax at premises listed as a second home on the Council’s Council Tax database and there would be a maximum of one second home permit per premises at any one time and a maximum of 2,000 second home permits granted by the Council at any one time.

We received a total of 299 objections, 79 letters of support and 40 comments on this proposal.

We have made the traffic order as originally advertised apart the maximum limit of 2,000 second home permits granted by the Council at any one time was reduced to 1,000.

For the views of stakeholders to inform insights that would help:

• Identifying how current pharmacy services are meeting local needs.
• Understanding challenges in accessing these services.
• Shaping improvements to ensure better support for all residents.

Your views have helped inform the Draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for 2025-28 

The Draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment has gone out for consultation between 9 June and 8 August 2025.

It can be accessed via this link: Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for 2025-28 - Kensington and Chelsea's Consultation and Engagement Hub - Citizen Space

As part of the Grenfell Recovery Strategy, North Kensington residents voted for those shortlisted community projects that mattered most to them. The public vote ran from Monday 3 February to Sunday 16 February 2025.

The voting process saw a strong response from the local community, with 1,078 residents casting a total of 10,864 eligible votes. This level of participation highlights the community’s commitment to shaping initiatives which help contribute to their recovery.

Projects have been funded in order of most votes to least, with each receiving their full requested amount until the £600,000 fund ran out. This approach aims to make the process of allocating funding transparent and ensure that successful projects get the full funding they requested.

The final decision to award the funding was made at the Leadership team meeting on Wednesday 23 April 2025.

Visit the Council website for a full list of funded projects.

Following the 2024 consultation to assess the need of a wildlife Public Space Protection Order, the council carried out a consultation to take residents' views on board regarding its implementation. 

The consultation had 168 responses and a staggering majority of over 94 per cent was in favour of the implementation of the Public Space Protection Order by South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations and the space by the entrance of Holland Park (junction with High Street Kensington).

As a resut of the general consensus received, the Public Space Protection Order has now been implemented for the areas outlined in the report and it is in full effect.

The survey was developed by the Kensington and Chelsea Youth Council to inform its future direction, plans, and projects ahead of the Youth Elections in April 2025, as well as to guide future Council policy-making and commissioning.

Young people in Kensington and Chelsea prioritise educational support, mental health awareness, employment opportunities, access to sports, and community involvement. There is a strong need for better promotion of services, more inclusive programs, and targeted efforts to reduce barriers in education, sports, and mental health support.

Key insights from the survey included:

1. Education

• Personal tutoring and revision sessions were highly valued.
• Over half found PSHE lessons useful, but a quarter did not.
• Many felt prepared for exams and employment, though some were unsure.
• Top requested life skills: financial education, first aid, cooking, public speaking.
• Young people most wanted paid work placements, job shadowing, and apprenticeships.

2. Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Most knew where to seek help, though a significant number did not.
• Friends and family were the main sources of support, followed by school counsellors.
• Youth wanted services promoted both in-person and through youth talks.
• Over half were interested in training to support peers with mental health struggles.

3. Sports and Recreation

• While more than half had access to facilities, barriers included cost, travel, and lack of time.
• Westway Sports Centre, youth clubs, and Kensington Leisure Centre were popular venues.

4. Environment and Air Pollution

• Main concerns included air pollution, litter, and water pollution.

5. Community Engagement and Youth Services

• Just over half felt involved in their community, mainly through youth clubs and after-school activities.
• There was a strong demand for more youth spaces and clearer event updates.
• While many accessed Council services, many others didn’t know what was available.

6. Digital Inclusion

• Over half felt digitally prepared for school and work, but some struggled to access job opportunities and specialist software.
• Most had reliable internet access, though some experienced issues.

7. Promotion and Awareness

• Young people felt the best ways to promote services were through social media and schools.
• There was interest in more social events, homework clubs, and talent showcases in community spaces.

While full implementation of the survey findings is still underway due to internal procedures, the results directly informed the Youth Elections and the campaign themes for the 2025 elections. The issues raised shaped the priorities of candidates and guided the Youth Council’s agenda for the coming year.