Kingston Labour Party
by Ryan Coley
Kingston Borough Labour Party have always fought and continues to fight for the local communities of the borough. We believe the communities that make up our great borough are some of the best in the country and it’s precisely why we’ve put them front and centre of our proposals for the long overdue Local Government Commission review into local council ward boundaries.
Councillors in our current wards have increasingly struggled to represent the diverse communities we have in the borough and it’s only got worse since the onset of Lib Dem and Tory austerity, ripping out not just essential community support but also rolling back the decade of progress we had under the last Labour government.
That’s why we have argued in our boundary review submission that the new wards must represent the real communities of the borough and not amalgamations or false imitations of them. As such, our proposals are proposing radical changes to the map of the wards in the borough.
One of the biggest anomalies from the borough’s current ward boundaries is that wards cross not just railway lines but also the A3. We strongly disagree with this and have done our absolute best to propose wards that respect the natural and physical boundaries that geographically split up our borough’s communities, even if it’s meant our proposals don’t match with the desired total electorate per councillor that the commission have asked for. We’ve done this because the only way we can rebuild our communities after this decade long austerity project, which is gutting our local services, is having accountable representatives for them. If residents can’t easily relate to what ward they are in it’s no wonder they can’t name who their councillors are.
The other radical aspect of our proposals is the fact we’ve eliminated three member wards. Not only do smaller wards better represent the real communities of the borough, it also means our councillors should be more known to residents. Our 32 new wards are half made up of 1 member wards and half made up of 2 member wards, meaning councillors elected on our ward boundaries will be able to get to know a higher proportion of their residents by focusing on smaller areas. We believe this will help not just residents get to know their councillors and the support they can offer but also councillors to really get to know the local community they serve.
Our borough has been let down by both the Liberal Democrats and Tories for decades now, be it through their devastating policies nationally or their bad management locally. We truly believe we’ve got the vision for a new way forward and our proposed ward boundaries are a golden opportunity to kick start a transformation of not just the map of the borough but also of how the council relates to and interacts with the communities of the borough. It’s why we were so glad to see the Liberal Democrat council start a democracy review but so disappointed where they took us. Life in Kingston can be so much more than what it currently is, and we’ll keep fighting to make it so.
For a map of our proposed wards please see below:
https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Kingston_Labour_Boundary_Review_Submission/KBLabBReview2019
Richmond Park Constituency |
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|
Ward name |
Estimated population |
Number of Councillors |
Comment |
|
Tudor |
5008 |
2 |
Main community identity is Tudor Estate with the shops on Tudor Drive and schools on Richmond Road as main community focal points. Main ward boundary is borough boundary. |
|
Dinton |
2552 |
1 |
Centred around Dinton Field with local amenities such as allotments, scout hut, St Agatha’s and Latchmere schools and Latchmere Recreation Ground. |
|
The Keep |
2521 |
1 |
Shops and facilities on Richmond Road and Kings Road, St Luke’s and St Agatha’s churches, Kingston Muslim Association and Burton Road Action Group (BRAG), link this community together. |
|
Park Gate |
2621 |
1 |
Kingston Hill and Richmond Park are obvious boundaries with St Paul’s Church and Kingsnympton Youth & Community centre and Park Road shops as community focal points. |
|
Kingston Riverside |
2422 |
1 |
The river, railway line and Richmond Road are logical boundaries for this ward, which is centred on the new developments that have arisen over the last twenty years. |
|
Canbury |
2672 |
1 |
The railway line, Elm Road and Park Road provide optimal boundaries for this collection of residential streets, which include hidden pubs and St Luke’s Primary School that act as community hubs. |
|
Hospital |
2730 |
1 |
This ward has Kingston Hill and the railway line as obvious boundaries, with many residents working at the hospital that is at its centre and utilising the shops at the Triangle and outside Norbiton train station. The ward also contains Dickerage Lane recreation ground. |
|
Kingston Vale |
2567 |
1 |
This community is relatively isolated from the rest of the borough due to its location. With Robin Hood Primary School, Kingston University, St John’s Baptist Church, Richmond Park and shopping parades adjacent to the A308, it has plenty of community ties that justify it having its own distinct ward. |
|
Coombe Hill |
2705 |
1 |
Centred around Coombe Lane West, with Coombe Hill Primary School, Coombe Girls’ Secondary School and both Malden and Coombe Hill Golf Clubs, this ward will be able to recognise its own character. |
|
Coombe Vale |
5173 |
2 |
Bordered by the railway line to its south, this ward is made up of the southern end of Coombe with local shopping parades on Elm Road and Coombe Road, two local primary schools and three allotment sites, it holds its own distinct community. |
Kingston & Surbiton Constituency |
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|
Ward name |
Estimated population |
Number of Councillors |
Comment |
|
Kingston Town Centre |
2705 |
1 |
The river, railway line and one-way road system provide obvious boundaries for this ward, which is recognisably Kingston’s Town Centre. |
|
St Peter’s |
2650 |
1 |
Named after the community-focussed church at its centre, this ward has the railway line as a logical boundary and two shopping parades regularly frequented by local residents. |
|
University |
5373 |
2 |
Many residents of this ward work or study at the university that is at its centre. With local shopping parades on Penryhn Road and Bloomfield Road and with several local primary schools and churches too. |
|
Norbiton |
5378 |
2 |
This ward has two railway lines and the Hogsmill River as natural boundaries, with the shops and facilities on Kingston Road and Kingston Road Recreation Ground providing key community links. |
|
Beverley |
5106 |
2 |
Focused around New Malden high street and named after Beverley Park this ward is noticeably New Malden town centre and contains Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. |
|
St James |
5087 |
2 |
Centred around South Lane and Westbury Road this ward gets its name from St James Church near the by-pass. With two local schools, New Malden Library, a local shopping parade on South Lane, Groveland Way Allotments and Green Lane Recreation Ground this ward has plenty of local community links. |
|
Clayhill |
2701 |
1 |
Named after the student halls of residence found within it, this ward also includes The Hollyfield School and the local shopping parade on Villiers Avenue. |
|
Surbiton Riverside |
2647 |
1 |
This ward has the river, borough boundary, and Maple/Balaclava Road as logical boundaries and include the river filter beds as well as local pubs and Maple Road shopping parade. |
|
Surbiton Town Centre |
2741 |
1 |
The railway line and Maple/Balaclava road provide obvious boundaries for this ward, which has Surbiton Town Centre at its heart. |
|
Berrylands |
4930 |
2 |
This ward takes its name from not only the train station to its north but more importantly Berrylands Park and Nature Reserve found within it. Additionally, it also contains local shopping parades both near the station and on Raeburn Avenue, Christ Church Primary School and other local community facilities such as Berrylands Scout Group, Surbiton Racket Club and Surbiton Croquet Club. |
|
Fishponds |
2698 |
1 |
Primarily the Alpha Road Estate, this ward includes some local pubs, Surbiton Library, Surbiton Hill Methodist Church as well as the shopping parades on Ewell Road and Berrylands Road. |
|
Oakhill |
2694 |
1 |
Focused around the Oakhill Conservation Area this ward also contains the shopping parade on Ewell Road, Surbiton Health Centre and several schools in addition to Surbiton train station. |
|
Surbiton Hill |
5167 |
2 |
Based around Upper Brighton Road, this ward is recognisably Surbiton Hill with Shrewsbury House School and The Maypole pub providing focal community points at the heart of the ward. |
|
Alexandra |
4927 |
2 |
Named after Alexandra Park which is contained within this ward it also includes the Tolworth Broadway, Our Lady Immaculate and Grand Avenue Primary Schools. |
|
Tolworth North |
5089 |
2 |
Centred around Red Lion Road this ward contains Tolworth Girls School, Southborough High School and Tolworth Junior School and Tolworth Hospital this ward is recognisably Tolworth. |
|
Manor Park |
6192 |
2 |
This ward is equivalent to the pre-2002 St James ward and has very defined boundaries with the A3 to its north, trainline as its southern boundary, borough boundary to its east and Hogsmill river to its west. As such, although its electorate count is large, we believe it would represent a true community. It is named after the Park contained within the ward. |
|
Malden Green |
4779 |
2 |
This ward is equivalent to the pre-2002 Malden Manor ward and is bounded by the borough boundary to its south and east with the Hogsmill river and trainline bounding it to its west and north. |
|
Sunray |
2257 |
1 |
This ward reflects the unique character of the Sunray and Egmont Estates. |
|
Tolworth South |
6029 |
2 |
This ward encompasses the area south of the A3 that can reasonably be identified as being part of Tolworth and includes Tolworth train station at one end of the ward. |
|
Hook |
5484 |
2 |
This ward is based on Hook, including the shopping centre and library and other facilities in Hook Parade. |
|
Bonesgate |
4999 |
2 |
Named after the Bonesgate Stream that runs along and near the eastern boundary of the ward. This ward has a local shopping parade near Chessington North, contains St Mary’s Primary School and Church, two allotment sites alongside a local Royal British Legion community centre which all serve the local community. |
|
Winey Hill |
3418 |
2 |
Named after the highest accessible point within it, the population of this geographically large ward only justifies 1.32 councillors, however due to its geographical size we believe it deserves two. |