Work to deliver new council homes, tackle inequality and put residents at the heart of services continues in Kingston, despite the financial challenges affecting councils across the country, according to the council.

Like most other local authorities, Kingston is facing huge financial pressures after years of significant government underfunding of statutory services, more adults and children in need of support - many with increasingly complex needs - and the continued rising cost of providing services, particularly temporary accommodation. 

Leader of Kingston Council, Cllr Andreas Kirsch, said Kingston is continuing to support residents in these circumstances.

 He added: "Despite these challenges, Kingston Council is continuing to deliver essential support for those who need it most, as well as the valuable services that help keep the borough cleaner, safer and fairer for all."

More than 60p in every £1 of council tax in Kingston goes to providing support for children and adults most in need. Across the borough, the council says it is supporting over 1,600 adults with long term care needs, and a further 220 with short term needs.

Over 1,000 vulnerable children and young people are receiving social care support, and almost 2,000 have an education, health and care plan.

Alongside this, more than 1,000 homeless families and individuals are being housed in temporary accommodation, which the council has a legal duty to provide.

 Kingston Council's portfolio holder for finance and assets Cllr Richard Thorpe said Kingston is working hard to effectively manage the challenges.

 He added: "Robust financial management and taking a transformative approach to many services means Kingston is in a better financial position than many. Our transforming places to live, and adults and children's social care transformation programmes are making an impact by delivering services more efficiently.

"Making better use of digital technology, trying new approaches to prevention, and smarter joined up working with partners are all making a difference."

However, the financial challenge is growing more difficult, with the council facing a projected overspend of £3.4 million for the current financial year. Kingston will continue to face increasingly significant financial challenges next year and beyond.

 "Kingston is not alone, or the worst affected - councils across the country are facing similar challenges," says the council.

Analysis by London Councils has shown London boroughs face a combined shortfall of £1billion this year. Over the next 4 years the cumulative budget gap is forecast to exceed £4 billion. 

 In this difficult financial context, Kingston Council says it is continuing to deliver for all residents and communities;  

• Regeneration of the Cambridge Road Estate in Norbiton will deliver more than 2,100 warmer, safer, greener homes. Additional funding secured from the Greater London Authority will increase the number of council homes delivered by over 100 to 871. 
• Residents have moved into 101 new council homes that have been built at four smaller sites across the borough. 
• Construction is set to begin on 45 new, genuinely affordable, council rent homes for older people and adults with learning disabilities, to be delivered by Spring 2027.
• Construction of Kingston's new leisure centre is well underway, with the steel structure now visible on site. Designed to be welcoming, accessible, and sustainable, the new leisure centre will provide a wide range of activities for all ages and abilities, opening in Spring 2027.  

Construction to the Kingfisher Leisure Centre began in the summer (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

As well as delivering homes and amenities, the council says it "continues to deliver the quality services that people rely on every day".

• A total of 8.2 million waste and recycling collections were completed last year, with 99.9% on time.  
• Careful stewardship of the borough's parks and green spaces continues to ensure they provide a haven for residents to enjoy the outdoors. This year three parks - Canbury Gardens, Churchfields Recreation Ground and Fishponds Park - received the internationally recognised quality mark, the Green Flag Award.
• The council's information, advice and guidance services for residents who seek support have been transformed to ensure people get even faster access to the advice they need and are quickly connected to council and partner services. This early intervention approach can help prevent people needing to access increased, more costly, support at a later date. 

Canbury Gardens, along with two other green spaces in kingsto, was awarded a Green Flag Award this year (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Even in the face of huge nationwide financial pressures, Kingston Council is working with partners and communities to use limited resources as "efficiently and effectively as possible to make the borough fairer, safer and greener for all".