The Place Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Thursday 12 March 2026 to discuss a revised abandoned vehicle policy, the council's delivery plan for 2026/27, and the local development scheme. The meeting also included discussions on planned highway maintenance, street lighting, and the procurement strategy for electric vehicle infrastructure.

Review of the Abandoned Vehicle Policy

The committee was scheduled to consider a revised Policy on Abandoned Vehicles for approval. The current policy, agreed in 2017, was to be updated to reflect changes in how the council processes reports of abandoned vehicles. The report highlighted that the number of reports had increased significantly in recent years, with an average of 81.5 reports per month in 2025. The revised policy aims to remove the previous criterion that the value of a vehicle determined its removal, which was considered unrealistic and a hindrance. The new policy would provide a wider scope for vehicles to be removed and would consider vehicles that are burnt out, significantly crash damaged, structurally dangerous, or unlocked and unsecured as Category 1, requiring immediate or prompt removal. Category 2 vehicles would include those on the public highway that are untaxed, unroadworthy, missing number plates, unlocked, or used for storing waste. Category 3 would apply to vehicles meeting Category 2 criteria but with a registered keeper or located on private land. The policy also outlines procedures for dealing with vehicles that do not meet the abandonment criteria, including referral to other services and the potential use of Community Protection Notices. The revised policy was recommended for approval with effect from 1 April 2026.

Council Delivery Plan 2026/27

The committee was asked to recommend to the Corporate & Resources Committee the approval of actions within the draft Delivery Plan 2026/27 that are relevant to the Place Committee. The Delivery Plan outlines the key actions the council will take to achieve the priorities set out in the Council Plan (2023-27), which focuses on themes of Fairer, Safer, Greener, Together, and Future Council. For the Place Committee, relevant actions included continuing the construction of Kingston Leisure Centre, delivering a coordinated approach to climate adaptation, maintaining street cleaning and winter gritting services, and providing quality grounds maintenance in public green spaces. Under the Greener theme, actions included delivering the Biodiversity Action Plan, supporting volunteer opportunities in parks, completing the strategic cycle network, implementing new school streets, delivering a high-quality waste and recycling service, and progressing the Kingston District Heat Network. The plan also outlined actions to support business start-up and growth, develop a Cultural Strategy, and continue the development of the Local Plan.

Local Development Scheme for the Local Plan

A revised Local Development Scheme (LDS) was presented, establishing a new work programme for the production of the Borough's Local Plan. The revision was prompted by upcoming policy changes at regional and national levels, including the government's ambition to accelerate housing delivery and the Greater London Authority's development of a new London Plan. The updated LDS covers the period from December 2025 to December 2027, with the submission of the Local Plan scheduled for 31 December 2026 to meet the government deadline. The next step under the LDS would be a Regulation 19 consultation in summer 2026. The committee was recommended to approve the Local Development Scheme.

Planned Highway Maintenance and Street Lighting Capital Programme 2026/27

The committee received a report on the proposed planned highway maintenance for 2026/27 and the street lighting column replacement programme. The proposed programme for carriageway and footway maintenance included a budget of £1,750,000. The report also detailed funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) for highway infrastructure maintenance. A list of roads proposed for maintenance using DfT allocation in 2026/27 was provided. The street lighting column replacement programme had a corporate budget of £400,000. The four Neighbourhood Committees had been consulted on the proposed schemes. The committee was recommended to approve the proposed 2026/27 carriageway and footway maintenance programme, the priority list of roads for DfT-funded maintenance, and the street lighting column replacement programme.

Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) - Procurement Strategy

The committee was presented with a report on the development of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital Fund project. The report sought permission to proceed with an Open Procurement process for concession contracts, utilising £886,000 in LEVI Capital funding provided to the LEVI Partnership 9 (Kingston and Sutton). The intention was to seek a concessionaire charge point operator to provide investment funding at least 150% of the subsidy. The successful bidder would be granted a 15-year concession. The funding would be allocated with 60% for lamp column charging and slow chargers, and 40% for fast and rapid charge points. A report would be brought back to the committee for the award of the concession contracts after the procurement process was completed.

Urgent Decision Taken Under Procedure Rule 30 - Procurement Strategy for E-bike Hire Contract

The committee noted an urgent decision that had been taken to approve the proposed procurement strategy for an e-bike hire contract. This strategy would result in the award of concession contracts to two suppliers to operate e-bike hire in both Kingston and Sutton under shared service arrangements. The contracts would be for an initial term of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years, with an estimated total contract value of £7.88m (excluding VAT).

Motion Referred to Committee by Council: Stopping the Over-concentration of HMOs

The committee debated a motion concerning the over-concentration of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the borough. The motion, which had been referred from a previous Council meeting, highlighted concerns about the increase in HMOs, their impact on communities, and the limitations of permitted development rights for smaller HMOs. A petition titled HMO Impact Reduction was also noted. The report included officers' comments and statements from members of the public. The committee considered amendments to the motion, which included instructing officers to continue work on implementing an Article 4 Direction, consulting with communities on strict policies and thresholds for HMOs in the Local Plan, and continuing to use enforcement powers. The motion also resolved to build more council homes and write to the Secretary of State demanding increased government investment in council housing. A further amendment was proposed and carried to request a report back to the relevant committee within nine months on the progress of implementing the Article 4 Direction.

Motion Referred to Committee by Council: Vehicle Crossover Policy

The committee received and debated a motion regarding the Vehicle Crossover Policy. The motion was submitted following resident complaints about the refusal of crossover applications and the lack of an appeal process. It proposed reinstating an appeal process to Neighbourhood Committees and considered that more relaxed criteria could facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce street parking pressure. Officers' comments and a member of the public's statement were included. The committee debated the motion, with some members expressing concerns about safety, streetscape protection, and environmental considerations. An amendment was proposed to recommend that each Neighbourhood Committee comment on the policy, with a report to be brought back to the Place Committee within 12 months. This amendment was lost, and the original motion was also lost.