Kingston sees 152% rise in empty homes, highest of all London boroughs
#21: One in 67 of Kingston’s population is homeless, London house prices ‘unaffordable’ even for top earners, Kingston sees 152% rise in empty homes, Met considers disbanding Richmond Park Police, have your say on London Mayor’s 2025-26 budget, Animal Farm at the Rose Theatre, daytime comedy in New Malden, Christmas at the Bentall Centre, Chanukah on the Square 2024, TIME’s Person of the Year for 2024, and more.
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START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
🌲 Scotland and Wales are trailblazing Europe’s nature restoration: Rewilding initiatives are already seeing success in the UK, as Scotland bids to become the world’s first ‘rewilding nation’. In the meantime, the only rewilding group of its kind in Wales has begun crowdfunding for a bold rewilding project, set to begin in spring 2025. Together with its environmental and biodiversity benefits, nature restoration also brings social and economic benefits and helps create jobs for rural communities.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
🪹 Kingston sees 152% rise in empty homes, highest of all London boroughs: Analysis from Action on Empty Homes reported in Kingston Courier shows the number of empty homes in Kingston has jumped from 771 to 1944, a massive increase of 152%. This is at a time when there are around 1,000 homeless people being helped by the council across the borough, with a third of them having to be housed outside the borough due to shortage of properties and rising costs in the area. It is also at a time when second homes in the borough have increased by 34%. However, local authorities have no power to take over empty homes or second homes that are not used by the owner. And while Kingston Council did double council tax on long term empty homes in April 2024 and is set to extend it in April 2025 to cover second homes too, it appears not to have deter empty home owners in the borough.
😞 One in 67 of Kingston’s population is homeless: While the council may be helping 1,000 homeless people in the borough as mentioned above, Shelter’s annual report on homelessness shows there are 2,510 homeless people in Kingston. That’s a shocking one in 67 homeless people in the borough. The equivalent number for our neighbours Merton and Richmond is one in 126 and one in 154 respectively. Shelter’s report, analysed by MyLondon, reveals Newham to be the worst London borough with an incredible one in 18 people classed as homeless.
🏠 London house prices ‘unaffordable’ even for top earners: City AM reveals even the richest people in London, likely to be many of its readers, are being priced out of the property market as house prices reach record levels, according to its analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics. In its latest Housing Purchase Affordability index, ONS stated that the average London home was not affordable for any household income decile. The government’s aim to build 1.5m new homes over the next five years, if delivered, would certainly be welcome news for many would-be UK home owners and renters.
👮 Met considers disbanding Richmond Park Police: MP for Richmond Park (North Kingston and Richmond), Sarah Olney, has been informed that the Metropolitan Police Service is considering cutting funding for the park police that patrols Richmond and Bushy Park. In her newsletter to residents, the MP stressed that no decision has been made yet and has asked residents to share their views on whether or not Richmond Park Police should be disbanded – the survey is available here.
🎾 Wimbledon tennis expansion row still not over? While All England Club may have got the nod from Merton and Wandsworth councils and City Hall to build their mega tennis complex in SW19, it looks like Wimbledon residents have not yet thrown in the racquet or the towel. In anticipation of any potential appeal, All England Club is taking its own project to the High Court to remove any lingering legal doubts that could be exploited by its opponents. All we say is that given Kingston’s active role each year in hosting many of the players, perhaps, like Wimbledon residents, we might also be given a chance of securing Wimbledon tickets without having to camp overnight!
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
🫂 Share your views on how to make Kingston a fairer and more inclusive borough: At a recent Corporate and Resources Committee meeting, Kingston Council presented an update on its Inclusive Kingston Strategy 2021 -2025. The council is now seeking views of the borough’s residents on its new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy that will serve as a framework to address inequalities and promote inclusion. Residents have until 31 January 2025 to share their views.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🗳️ Share your priorities for Kingston with the Mayor of London to help shape his 2025-26 budget: The Mayor of London held People’s Question Time event in Wandsworth last night, Thursday, and it was a lively affair – you can watch the recording here. The Mayor holds responsibility for a number of key areas affecting the lives of Londoners including Kingston. These cover transport, policing and safety, air quality and the environment, housing and London’s economy as well as other areas including culture and education. So, as the Mayor opens his 2025-2026 Budget consultation, here is your chance to let him know what matters to you – have your say here.
🙋 Kingston Voluntary Action launches its 2025-2028 strategy: Stronger Organisations, Healthier Communities. That’s the overarching objective expressed in KVA’s 2025-2028 strategy outlining its work for the next three years. KVA plays a key role across the borough working with local charities and community groups at all stages of their development. Whether you are a new or an established charity looking for help and advice, KVA is a great place to start. Working directly with local communities, KVA also delivers a number of initiatives such as a community health programme, Good Food Group, Eco-op and a Buddy Scheme, as well as a social prescribing platform – Connected Kingston.
🐷 Animal Farm at the Rose Theatre: A powerful re-telling of George Orwell’s chilling and timeless classic Animal Farm comes to stage at the Rose Theatre this February. Tickets for shows from 4-8 February are available to book now. Remember all tickets are equal. But some are more equal than others. And all are likely to sell out fast!
🤣 Daytime comedy in New Malden: Another bunch of comedy acts that you normally catch on TV or arenas are coming to The Royal Oak in New Malden this Saturday, 14 December. And this time, you can laugh with them during your lunch break – yes, this is a rare daytime show with Jake Lambert, Helen Bauer, Michael Odewale and Maff Brown.
🎄 Christmas at the Bentall Centre: Christmas is in full swing at the Bentall Centre. Whether it’s the perfect Christmas present, a festive vibe or simply an Instagrammable pic you’re after, you’ll find it all at the Bentall Centre including Santa’s grotto, a VR sleigh ride and fun-filled and creative workshops for children and adults. And while you’re in town, don’t forget to pop over to the Christmas Market and the Alpine Village – great places to grab some festive treats and unique gifts.
🏃♀️ Sign up for the best 2025 running events in and around London: Storm Bert brought disappointment for thousands of runners when Hampton Court Palace 10K was cancelled in November on safety grounds. Well, to avoid all your hard training going to waste, here’s a list of some of the best running events taking place next year locally and around London, courtesy of The Standard.
Battersea Park Half Marathon (January)
Hampton Court Half Marathon (February)
The Richmond Spring Riverside 10k and Half Marathon (March)
London Landmarks Half Marathon (April)
The MTC Richmond Ultra, Kingston upon Thames (August)
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
⚽ Chelsea Women: Chelsea Women’s relentless pursuit of another league title continued with a win against Brighton Women last Sunday. And a few days later, on Wednesday, the Blues were emphatic 6-1 winners in their UEFA Women’s Champions League game against FC Twente Vrouwen. Despite the fact that it’s still early in the season, it’s hard to see any other team doing the double. This Saturday 14 December, the Blues travel to Leicester, a team that’s one place off the bottom due to goal difference.
⚽ Kingstonian FC: A 2-1 victory against Southall last weekend maintains a 3-point gap from the league leaders Farnham Town who were convincing winners with a 1-6 thrashing of Rayners Lane. With the midweek cup game postponed, the Ks should be fresh for this Saturday’s league fixture against Metropolitan Police, currently sitting in the relegation zone.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
🕎 Chanukah on the Square 2024: The Menorah in the Trafalgar Square has become a beloved tradition that unites Londoners from all walks of life to celebrate the eight-day festival from 25 December to 2 January. Organised by the Jewish Leadership Council in collaboration with the London Jewish Forum, the festival welcomes people of all religious, cultural, and political backgrounds.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
😐 And TIME’s Person of the Year for 2024 is…: For almost a century TIME magazine has named a person, group, or concept that had the biggest impact—for good or for ill—on the world over the previous 12 months. Last year, it chose Taylor Swift. And this year, from a shortlist of 10 people that included Kate Middleton, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Julia Navalnaya and Kamala Harris, TIME selected Donald Trump. Again. (He was TIME’s selection in 2016 too.)
