The residents of Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames have a healthy life expectancy currently most like our neighbours in Richmond upon Thames, at the top of the chart above taken from the GLA's 2018 London Health Inequalities Strategy
The factors affecting healthy life expectancy are: Living, Community, Local Economy, Health and Care System, Activities, Built Environment, Natural Environment, Biodiversity, Climate and Global Ecosystem
But will we still enjoy the same life expectancy as our immediate neighbours in 10 to 15 years time when our council and the GLA have forced massive scale development on us across the Borough and we have become an "opportunity area" like Croydon has already been for some time?
While the it would not all fit on the page, the chart shows that currently men in Croydon have the 9th lowest healthy life expectancy in London and women in Croydon have the 10th lowest
Richmond council's strategy to protect the well-being and mental health of its EXISTING residents has been to expand existing Conservation Areas, to nominate new ones and to offer almost no large sites for development. It also identifies residents who are not part of residents groups - the vast majority - as "hard to reach" people and sends communications to every household about matters that will affect their well-being, such as the Local Plan
In this way, Richmond Council attempts to help people who have made the Borough their home influence what happen and avoid the blight of large scale, out-of-control development to which our council has committed our Royal Kingston
The only notification sent to households about the forthcoming Local Plan was a few words on the back page of our Council Tax bill - a demand for money - which in no way indicated the importance and scale of change that the Local Plan will involve
The only full leaflet sent to every household since the Local Plan consultation started is on what to do and not to do to ensure your refuse is collected
It is almost unbelievable
You can read the full London Health Inequalities Strategy 2018 document and see the factors that affect healthy life expectancy here:
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/health/health-inequalities-strategy
Please take this information in to account when you respond to the Local Plan consultation. I will be posting my thoughts on the Local Plan Consultation in the next week