The job market for 16-25-year-olds in Kingston has continued to struggle post-Brexit.

Kingston as a borough has one of the lowest rates of youth employment in general so the figures are comparable to more deprived areas in London and the UK.

Trends have shown that since 2013 rates of unemployment have gone down, under 200 per year up until the point of COVID-19 which saw a lot of individuals placed on furlough. 

The reason this is more detrimental to younger persons appears to be that they generally find themselves in more dispensable areas of employment due to their perceived lack of experience to employers.  

Youth employment has entered an unstable period in the last ten years as the post-brexit and COVID effects on the economy has seen employment based figures to significantly fluctuate. 

Clive Lissaman, the careers officer at Kingston College, explained the difficulties the youth face in seeking vast employment stems from a lack of funding as well as poor governmental management in the post-pandemic period.

He said: “London is far eclipsed by the number of students that want to do those apprenticeships. 

“In London, only 7% of employers, according to a report commissioned by the Great London Authority that was published in August, only 7% of employers are prepared to offer apprenticeships for young people so the numbers just don’t add up.

“The pandemic has resulted in a lot of businesses actually going under, however, it was a lot of the small businesses, but when the economy kind of picks up again, new companies actually fill the gaps.

“I don’t think that had an impact. I think the deeper problem would actually be Brexit, it had a much, much deeper impact on the labour market.

“The notion was that there was sort of like a romantic idea that somehow if you sort of stopped immigrants coming in or people from Europe coming in, that there would be loads more jobs.”

There is no simple explanation as to why this is the case but a myriad of problems through several top-down decisions and the changing economic climate seem to have eroded current career opportunities for the youth of today. 

Kingston Council has attempted to do something to mitigate the figures that we have seen, through a variety of schemes and initiatives such as Kingston Council’s £2 million investment during the pandemic to help swerve growing rates of unemployment. 

The borough proves an informative case-study in that it shows how even the most affluent of areas have been affected in of making use of education services to influence job prosperity.

This can be attributed to the economic crisis the country faced at the time as a prolonged effect of the pandemic, but the data really lies in the fact that 2022 marked the lowest amount of youth unemployment in 30 years until we saw substantial change be initiated. 

What the data tells us 6v233s

Claimants for unemployment reached their lowest point of the last ten years in 2016, but slowly saw a steady increase up until the pandemic, that even now is failing to stagnate and is simply getting worse again. 

(Source – ONS Claimant count by age)

NB : out-of-work claimants are usually for individuals seeking employment but cannot find it, separate allowances are given to those who cannot work for other reasons (Universal Credit e.g)

NB: numbers are averages of out of work claimants as a proportion of resident population of the specified

The lineage of out-of-work claimant statistical averages suggests that the decline of employment prospects for young persons happened a lot sooner than the start of the pandemic, specially the post-Brexit period.

Though there have been peaks and troughs in unemployment rates, we seem to be in a worse financial position than ten years ago, with the lowest out of work claimant averages coming pre-2019.

When the job market declines there is an inevitable dip in the availability of small businesses which we see decline at a gradual rate rather than being immediate.

This is demonstrated by the averages produced by the claimant averages which are split into two groups respectively – 16-18 year old’s and 18-24 year old’s.

The rationale behind using these two groups is that the ages of 16-18 can evidence the struggles of those who leave school to do apprenticeships or seek full time employment. 

The 18-24 year old statistical averages paint a clearer picture of the longer term effects of those who have struggled to either utalise their studies or who have gone down the employment route at an earlier stage.

Lissman feels as if local councils could play more of a part in funding colleges and universities in the area, while new educational schemes have not run as smoothly as anticipated.

He added: “Councils have either creamed off the money for other projects or for whatever reason, have just not sort of invested that money into skills.

“For example, in Kingston, Unilever is a multi-multi-million pound project, and it’s opposite the college, and during the construction process, 10,000 students would through the college, yet only one student ended up with a job with a contractor on that project.”

It reflects a long standing structural problem in the educational pyramid doubled down by an uncertain post-Brexit and post-COVID economy. 

The figures Lissaman provided on behalf of the college are consistent with the government’s out-of-work claimants statistics, subject to the economic patterns across the last ten years.

He fears, however, that this situation will get worse before it gets better.

He explained: “We’re all invested in this, we should be invested in it. It’s vital that we’re invested in this.

“We’re kind of in that sort of really weird moment in of the broader psychology of we’re at a cul-de-sac with a lot of these things.”

Economic inactivity totals proved unsuitable for this analysis as many borough-based figures are uned for because sample sizes are considered too small for a reliable estimate.

However, economic inactivity totals for students and young persons across the borough and the city last year paint a broader picture of the challenges in seeking employment compared to pre-Brexit totals. 

While we see figures drop for the total population, student population unemployment has grown massively and works against the general notion that as time advances job sectors have created more jobs for all.

Brexit seems to be the catalyst for this change as the economic inactivity totals have incrementally climbed since the referendum succeeded, in line with Lissaman’s claims.

Featured image credit: wwphotos via Flickr under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 licence

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The number of on-time state school applications received by south west London councils has decreased following the autumn budget’s private school tax, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Data obtained from Croydon, Kingston, Richmond, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth councils each showed a decrease in the number of secondary school applications received by the 31st October deadline.

The announcement of a 20% VAT charge on private school fees last autumn had heralded outcry, but is yet to play out in the state sector. 

One teacher at a small private school in Surrey said: “There has been no sudden rise of pupil withdrawals. But I can see a few schools struggling in the future which could have a major impact on the state sector. 

“With the rising cost of living, even before the VAT increase, families were having to make sacrifices to send their children to private school. Now, the number of families who can afford the extra 10-20% gets even smaller.” 

The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents more 1,400 private schools in England, declined to comment on these figures but had previously suggested that an increase in private school fees to meet the additional VAT charges, would result in a migration of students into a ‘stretched’ state sector.

Richmond Council saw a 10% drop in applications from 2024 to 2025, although figures had already been decreasing since 2021, in line with dropping birth rates in the area. 

A council spokesperson said: “The number of on-time secondary school applications received for September 2025 shows a small decrease compared to the previous year, reflecting wider demographic trends that we will continue to track closely.

“At this stage in of secondary issions, we have not seen any discernible impact on our pupil numbers arising from the VAT charge on independent private schools. As we monitor this, our focus remains on ensuring that there are sufficient high-quality school places available for all children in Richmond upon Thames.” 

The capital’s rising cost of living, coupled with its dropping birth rates could be contributing to the fall in student numbers. 

One Wandsworth primary school is set to close over the summer, citing a dramatic decline in pupils and a resulting debt of approximately £300,000. 

St Anne’s Church of England took just eight children into their reception class in September 2024. 

Merton has seen a similar steady decrease in secondary school applications year on year, dropping by 10% since 2019. 

MP for Mitcham and Morden Dame Siobhain McDonagh said: “We have had a number of primary schools in Mitcham and Morden go down to one form of entry, you know, 30 a year rather than 60 because there simply aren’t the children around.

“We’re facing a terrible crisis in our schools in SW London with falling school rolls. Birth rates are down, people are just not having children and one of the factors at the top of our discussion is just how expensive it is to live in London and clearly if you have children, you need more housing and that is very difficult to access.” 

With regards to constituents raising concerns on struggling to afford the rising fees at independent schools, McDonagh added: “Maybe some time ago I had one or two, but as your Freedom of Information application indicates there has been no real impact.

“Some of the schools have absorbed the costs because private school fees have gone through the roof in recent years, so there may be quite a lot of money in the model.”

Despite dropping slightly this year, Sutton has seen a 5% increase in the number of state school applications received from 2019 to 2025.

A state school teacher in Sutton said: “Most of us here are in agreement that the move by the government makes sense. If what they’re saying is true then state schools will definitely benefit from the budget increases.

 “But I can see both sides, some people work really hard to just about manage to pay the fees so their child can get that top education, but probably won’t be able to afford it anymore.” 

The ISC together with a small collective of Christian faith schools and a parent-led group challenged the government’s VAT policy in court last month, arguing that it was discriminatory and against the legal right to an education. 

At the hearing, it was raised that higher fees could force 35,000 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) into the state sector, which the claimants state to be ‘in crisis’. 

Representatives of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, HMRC and the Department of Education argued instead that the policy will raise a predicted £1.3-£1.5b annually, to be put into raising the standards for the 94% of children in state schools. 

The hearing concluded at the Royal Courts of Justice on 1 May and a date for judgement has not yet been announced. 

Featured Image by MChe Lee on Unsplash

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The road outside a Surbiton primary school is set to close at rush hour in a bid to make schoolchildren’s journeys to school safer.

The School Street scheme, which is a government programme to close busy roads outside schools during opening and closing hours, was approved for St Matthew’s Primary School in Langley Road.

The scheme aims to reduce traffic volume outside schools to increase road safety, lower emissions from vehicles and to encourage more children to walk to school.

St Matthew’s Primary School parent Henry Volans said: “The current state of traffic on Langley road represents a failure to offer our children a safe environment to get to and from school.

“Every morning [my son and I] see illegally parked cars blocking corners, blocking sight lines, making it difficult and dangerous to cross the road and get to school.”

Of all rush hour car trips made in London, 25% of them related to school drop-offs, according to analysis made by Transport for London.

On top of that, 40% of journeys to primary schools are made by car or van across England, according to data published by the UK government in November 2024.

The government lists increased pupil independence, enhanced social interaction and developing sustainable travel habits as benefits of the scheme, alongside other advantages listed on their website.

St Matthew’s is the 11th school in the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames to receive School Street status.

Kingston councillor Jackie Davies, representing Berrylands ward, voiced her approval of the scheme.

Davies said: “I think this one is a complete no-brainer, we should just do it.

“We have to think about the youngest people in our society and think about what the future is going to be like for them, and set patterns very early on.”

Langley Road is often used as a cut-through between the busy Ewell Road and Upper Brighton Roads.

Temporary traffic counts will take place on Langley Road to monitor how much the traffic decreases, and on nearby streets to gauge any potential rises in traffic as a result of the road closure.

Residents of the road will be exempt from the traffic ban, but will have to their cars with the council to avoid any potential fines.

The scheme is set to last 18 months, with the road closures being reviewed six months into the programme.

The School Street Scheme for St Matthew’s Primary School was approved by a unanimous vote made at the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee on 19 March, although there is no set start date for the road closures.

Kingston councillor Dianne White, who represents St Mark’s and Seething Wells ward, expressed her wishes to extend the School Street Scheme to secondary schools in the future.

She said: “They need to be as safe as possible as well.”

Feature image: Surbiton’s St Matthew’s Primary School. Credit: Hugh Venables via Geograph

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A mosaic celebrating London’s Koreatown was unveiled in February at New Malden station by Elizabeth Park, Kingston’s first Korean mayoral representative. 

Kingston Borough is home to approximately 20,000 Koreans, with around 10,000 living in New Malden.

Mosaic artist Karen sca said that she used imagery and patterns associated with the Korean and Tamil communities when creating the structure for the artwork.

She added that the central flower is a hibiscus, Korea’s national flower. 

The mosaic was made with community organisations like Burlington Junior School, Elders Empowerment Group, and the Heritage Society. 

Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Park said: “People came out and worked together, which is a credit to the Korean community in this area.

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Kingston’s Pryzm nightclub is set to receive a £3million facelift under plans proposed by its new owners.

The venue will be split into two sections: Bonnie Rogues, a bar, and Circuit, a rebrand of the current late night venue.

NEOS Hospitality bought the venue after former owners Rekom UK went into istration in 2024, and Pryzm Kingston general manager Stephan Currie expressed the need for nightlife venues to diversify their income.

He said: “There has been a real drop in 18-year-olds going out at night.

“By splitting the business, it will allow us to increase the demographic by appealing to older groups.

“There is a lot of potential here [at Pryzm] and we can take it even further with this investment.”

The investment seeks to benefit the Kingston music scene, as music shop Banquet Records put on regular concerts and events at the venue.

Pryzm Kingston has hosted performances by current chart-toppers such as Charli XCX, Billie Eilish and Stormzy, as well as long-established acts like Shania Twain and Rod Stewart. 

Jon Tolley, the co-owner of Banquet Records, has been involved with the planned refurbishment, with his shop having contributed a five-figure sum to the £3million investment.

Pryzm’s Grade II listed Main Room, where the concerts take place, would be restored with care taken over preserving its original design, Tolley said.

The room would also see a ceiling-suspended sound system installed, and sloped flooring on the balcony level which would provide unobstructed views of the stage during performances as part of the refurbishment.

Tolley said: “In this climate when gigs and venues are going bust all over and are really struggling, to have a place say ‘Hey we are going to spend this much money’, it is a really positive statement.”

“The plan is getting less praise and attention than it probably deserves.

“This is not costing the taxpayer or charities anything, it is just a business getting on with it.”

Financial struggles during the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have caused many late night venues to shut their doors for good.

Data published by The Music Venue Trust in 2024 showed 48% of music venues ran at a loss last year and, on average, they operated on small profit margins.

Banquet Records has previously invested in Pryzm Kingston, having paid for a goods lift to be installed in 2022 to make the setup for gigs more efficient.

The future for Kingston’s nightlife is promising, as the record shop united with Kingston pub The Fighting Cocks to save the nightclub Bacchus in 2024, after the venue was experiencing financial struggles.

The proposed plans for Pryzm Kingston’s refurbishment have been submitted to Kingston Council and are awaiting approval.

Kingston Council declined to comment until a planning decision has been made.

Featured Image: Pryzm Kingston is closed for the day ahead of a night of music (Credit: Christian Maddock)

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A medical centre has organised an AI event in Kensington for NHS staff and students to learn how to use AI tools.

Golborne Medical Centre hosted an AI event at the Morley College London on 1^st February for NHS staff and students to create NHS web pages, using the AI website generator Loveable. 

A of judges, including representatives from Google and the co-founder of Skillwork, scored each team’s project with the winning team leaving with a £500 cash prize. 

list Professor Nicholas Peters said: “There is definitely a place for AI in the NHS.

“It will transform care but only if it is impact focus, but the insights it is providing is truly superhuman.”

Professor Peters, Professor of cardiology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, was part of the TRICORDER programme in 2023.

This programme gave 200 GPs across north west London, one of which was Golborne Medical Centre, the first AI tool in primary care – an AI stethoscope.

Leading the event was Dr Yasmin Razak, a GP partner and GP trainer at Golborne Medical, and Arun Nadarasa, a clinical pharmacist at Islington GP Federation. 

Dr Razak said: “Hosting an event to learn about how AI can help NHS staff improve care they provide was a fantastic experience.”

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A London university professor has warned of uncertainty ahead for South Korea as the nation traverses a difficult period in its history.

Just over two weeks ago, martial law was declared in South Korea for the first time in 40 years by President Yoon Suk Yeol, which led to civil unrest and anti-government protests by the civilian population, followed by a vote in parliament to impeach the country’s leader.

Yoon’s impeachment still needs to be ratified by South Korea’s constitutional court, but chair of the Centre of Korea Studies at the University of London‘s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Owen Miller explained there may still be trouble ahead.

Miller said: “In of economic and financial implications, South Korea has been in a difficult point for quite a while now, although recent developments are likely to worsen economic relations and the exchange rate.

“What happens next is very unclear.

“People are shocked and angry by this regression to authoritarianism, anything short of an election is unacceptable even though the ruling party is trying to cling on, a new election should be carried out no matter how long it takes, demonstrations will continue.”

Yoon’s initial declaration of martial law on 3 December came with him citing threats from anti-state forces and North Korea, but that was walked back six hours later following widespread protests by both lawmakers and the public.

Miller explained factors such as alternating between liberal and conservative governments and there being a contradiction between South Korea’s National Assembly controlled by the opposition party and the president had led to this period of unrest.

He said: “Ultimately, this was all gambling on a big power grab move to dissolve the National Assembly and take control of all branches of government.

“This exposes terrible, fundamental problems in democracy, a presidential system has a fundamental flaw.

“Since the president wants a coup and the National Assembly has been overturned, people took to the streets and put their lives and bodies on the line to prevent armed forces, the defeat of an authoritarian leader.”

Picture credit: Used free under Creative Commons licence

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Charities focused on southwest London gathered in central Kingston to encourage residents to volunteer locally.

Volunteering Kingston, part of Groundwork London, hosted the event on Friday 29 November.

More than 30 charities looking for volunteers in the area had stands in All Saints Church.

They sought to help people interested in donating their times find opportunities that suited them to volunteer for charities.

Watch the video to find out more about the event.

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Sir Ed Davey has criticised President-elect Donald Trump, following his victory declaration, in a series of posts on X this morning.

The Liberal Democrat leader and Kingston and Surbiton MP broke ranks with a number of global politicians who have issued statements congratulating Trump, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Davey said: “This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue. 

“The next President of the United States is a man who actively undermines the rule of law, human rights, international trade, climate action and global security.”

This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) November 6, 2024

Davey added that people on both sides of the Atlantic will be fearful of a Trump presidency.

He added that women and minorities in America would be especially concerned about the impact of the soon-to-be 47th President’s term. 

Referencing Trump’s provocative rhetoric on NATO and stance on Ukraine, the Lib Dem leader said UK families would also be worried about the damage that the President-elect would inflict on British national security. 

Davey, who has previously pushed for the UK to re the EU, said that repairing relations with the EU is now an urgent priority in order to defend against the damage from a Trump premiership. 

Capping off the lengthy thread, the Kingston MP said there was an urgent need to stand up for equality, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, both worldwide and in the UK. 

A longstanding critic of Trump, Sir Ed Davey protested the then-President’s 2019 state visit to Britain after he insulted Sadiq Khan on X.

Featured image credit: Keith Edkins via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0 licence

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The assistant manager of a Kingston pub has been hailed an ‘absolute hero’ after 15 residents were evacuated from a burning flat on the floor above.

The blaze on Richmond Road at The Grey Horse pub was reported to emergency services at 3:08am on Sunday morning.

An entire one-roomed flat and half of the communal area on the second floor of the three-storey building were destroyed by the fire.

Pub assistant manager Callum Nixon was enjoying his leaving drinks with colleagues after his final shift at The Grey Horse when he realised there was a fire.

He said: “In the moment, I didn’t really think about anything, I just kind of went into autopilot.

“Once I realised there was no putting out the fire all we could do was make sure everyone got out safe.

“Just glad the firefighters could do their thing, they did an amazing job, and I’m thankful to the community for rallying behind us.

“It was my favourite pub before I worked there and I would hate to see it go.”

Around 25 firefighters from stations across Kingston, Surbiton, New Malden and Twickenham got the fire under control by 5:20am.

Witnesses said the blaze started after a staff member accidentally fell asleep in the flat upstairs while a heater was still on, however the London Fire Brigade said the exact cause is yet to be determined.

Joy Bowers was in the beer garden with co-workers when they smelled smoke.

She said: “The fire was very upsetting and terrifying, we’re lucky the firefighters were so amazing.

“My first thought was ‘oh my god this is going to be the end for the pub’.

“When you see the water pouring in you have no idea how much damage has been done.”

After waiting at the pub with Nixon until 8am, Bowers called him an “absolute hero” for responding so quickly during a time of panic.

She added that while the fire is devastating on a personal level, the from the local community has been incredible.

She said: “The Grey Horse is a famous and historic pub in Kingston, and the music venue at the back has many events including drag, poetry, stand-up comedy.

“It’s a hub of creativity and arts in Kingston and we are really grateful to have so many people that love the pub.”

Leigh White, director of the pub chain Smok’d, an d business, is aiming to help tenants affected to find temporary accomodation.

The business also plans to create a GoFundMe to raise money to those who lost possessions in the fire.

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