How we’ve been making Richmond upon Thames fit for growth

As summer begins to wind down and students return to school for a new academic year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the wealth of opportunities available in the borough that makes it great to grow as well as start something new.

We understand that to have a thriving and diverse borough, residents need a community that supports them at different stages of their lives and meets their needs. So we have been exploring ways to deliver on our commitments by providing you with accessible opportunities that allow your families to thrive whilst they grow and age.  

Our vision for the borough is a place where we help young people achieve their potential – they are our future, and recognising their contribution to life in Richmond upon Thames means working with them. That’s why it’s been a pleasure to look at the incredible work our local youth centres have been doing for a range of services, experiences, activities, and opportunities for socialising – particularly during the summer holidays.

Young people in the borough have performed well in school, working toward bright futures. Local sixth form students have continued the trend of achieving above average A-level results with an increase in the proportion of A* to A and A* to C grades, compared to 2019. The borough’s GCSE students have also outperformed their national counterparts, with 84% achieving a grade four or above in English and Maths compared to a national average of 65% in 2019.

Developing your skills is not limited to your time at school which is why we have always been proud to champion life-long education and inspire residents to learn. We’re proud to have quality learning opportunities for our residents, even after they leave school, with our apprenticeship offerings being rated ‘good’ by Ofsted following a recent evaluation. That’s why we will also continue providing employment support and training through our Work Match service to ensure those living in the borough have access to good quality, local jobs and our economy continues to thrive.

 
Addressing the borough’s housing needs is key to ensuring that families feel settled enough to grow. To create an environment that allows residents to access affordable and good quality homes, we have launched numerous schemes providing private landlords financial incentives to lease their properties with us – giving landlords a guaranteed monthly income and reducing the risk of homelessness in the borough.

Supporting residents at different stages of their lives is how we aim to create a fairer and healthier borough for all. In August we invited residents to have your say on our Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The 18 step plan to health and wellbeing aims to adopt a system-wide approach to preventing ill health and addressing health inequalities that keeps residents in good health as they age. You can still voice your opinion on the priorities until Thursday 21 September.

Future-proofing our high streets, town centres and local economies is key to our plans for the borough. To support this, we are working with We Made That, to deliver an engagement project that evaluates how Richmond Town Centre is working for us all. The project means hearing from local people to develop a creative and ambitious vision for the town centre that reflects what you want and need. We are also consulting on our Night Time Strategy, exploring ways to make our borough a hive of economic and social activity even after the sun sets. The consultation runs until the end of September so you can still take part.

We want Richmond upon Thames to not just be the place where you work, but a borough that works for you and this is how we’re working to deliver on our vision.

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