A picture of diversity and inequality

A picture of diversity and Inequality banner

Kensington and Chelsea is the home to a richly diverse community.

  • 34% of Kensington and Chelsea residents are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, compared to just 17% for England overall.
  • 48% of Kensington and Chelsea residents were born abroad, compared to just 15% for England overall.

It still feels like the community is recovering from Grenfell and then the pandemic after that... it just set everything back.. It's been a really challenging time.

Focus group participant

Beneath strong economic performance, Kensington and Chelsea is a highly unequal borough, with some residents suffering from severe deprivation.

  • Kensington and Chelsea features among the top 10% of UK local economies in the recently published UK Prosperity Index.
  • However, more than 1 in 5 (23%) Kensington and Chelsea neighbourhoods are among the 20% most income-deprived in England and Wales.
  • One in four children in Kensington and Chelsea (24.4%) lived in poverty in 2019/20.

We are hungry during this lockdown, [it’s] wintertime, we stay cold because we can’t afford to pay for the gas bill

Participant in research coordinated by Midaye Somali development network

Deprivation in Kensington and Chelsea is not a new phenomenon, but the Grenfell Tower fire and the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted and intensified the issue.

  • In particular, the economic impact of lockdowns and social restrictions have left many struggling to make ends meet, put food on the table and heat their homes.