Kingston Council has been allocated more than £400,000 in a Government programme to improve and develop public services.

Kingston Council, as a partner of South London One Public Estate, has been allocated £415,000 under the government’s One Public Estate programme.

The South London OPE grant is part of £4.45million in funding, which will support 16 local councils in working with the central government and other public sector partners.

One of the main aims of the South London OPE funding is to support collaboration across local public sector bodies in their service delivery strategies and estate needs.

This includes looking at how estate strategies can improve the health and wellbeing of local people and working collaboratively to create quality employment opportunities.

The OPE programme aims to develop public sector land for an additional 3,000 new homes over the next 10 years, creating 4,500 jobs.

Cllr Andreas Kirsch, Leader of Kingston Council said: “The extra funds will help us to deliver better service outcomes for local people whilst securing new housing and jobs.

“We are already working with residents to bring forward the redevelopment of the Cambridge Road Estate, investing in the borough’s essential infrastructure to support our growing population and helping to provide our young people with the best start in life through effective early years support.”

The local One Public Estate partnership also includes NHS professionals from across South London.

Reducing the health inequalities revealed by the Covid pandemic and contributing to local net-zero sustainability ambitions are also initiatives of the OPE programme.

Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “The NHS is delighted to work with local authority partners on this programme, to support the development of new homes, and jobs for the people of south London, which we believe will, in time, lead to improvements in the health and wellbeing of our local population.”