Our local election 2026 manifesto
Today (17 April 2026) we are publishing Kensington and Chelsea Labour’s manifesto to make our borough a fairer place.
For a fairer Kensington and Chelsea outlines what Labour would do differently.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has always been run by the Conservatives. It’s one of the richest boroughs in England, yet it’s also the most unequal. There are stark divides between the north and south including dramatic gaps in life expectancy (17 years between Holland and Notting Dale wards), income (average income in the north is £30k, in the south it’s £65k) and child poverty (with a staggering 30% child poverty rate in Golborne ward).
The Tories have done little to close this gap and the gap is widening.
RBKC’s housing department was given the second lowest rating by the social housing regulator for failing to maintain social homes to a decent standard. And Tory incompetency and mismanagement meant that basic services were suspended, council tax wasn’t collected, and the personal data of thousands of residents was stolen in a completely avoidable cyber-attack. Their own internal audit of cyber security made recommendations months before the cyber-attack, most of which they hadn’t got around to implementing.
Since 2024 the Labour Government has invested millions to reduce inequality in Kensington and Chelsea, through the Best Start Family Hubs programme, expanded local GPs, new primary school breakfast clubs, and free childcare for working families. Meanwhile, the Conservative leadership in Kensington and Chelsea has slashed support for the 5000 lowest income families by reducing council-tax benefits for the poorest families, threatened to close public libraries, and can’t keep primary schools open.
For a fairer Kensington and Chelsea looks at five key areas that we would focus on to reduce inequality and increase fairness: life expectancy & health, housing & the environment, education & opportunity, income, poverty & employment, and closing the social & cultural divide in our borough.
The manifesto is a sensible, proportional plan, that retains the key services that local people rely on, such as twice weekly bin collections and borough wide parking, while raising revenue through increasing council tax on second homes, an option the Tories refuse to take.
Kensington and Chelsea Labour would put the failing RBKC Housing Department into special measures. We’d reverse the Council’s attempts to gentrify Portobello Road, and work with traders and residents to make it a vibrant, viable stallholder market that serves local people as well as tourists. We’d introduce free swimming lessons and free school uniforms for families that need them.
We’re proud of our plan to make Kensington and Chelsea fairer. Please read it and if you want to make Kensington and Chelsea a better place, join our campaign.
Written by and published on behalf of:
- Kensington & Chelsea Labour Local Government Committee (LGC)
- The Kensington & Chelsea Labour Group of Councillors
- The Kensington & Bayswater Constituency Labour Party
If you’d like to a physical version we have a limited run of printed copies – contact us to request: campaigns@kensingtonlabour.org.uk