This is a tremendous opportunity and I'm delighted to sign this Statement of Intent on behalf of the 250,000 people living and working in Westminster. Together with the 40,000 members of King’s academic community, there is much we can do together. Through exploring the lived experience in Westminster and through our partnerships in areas such as health, air pollution, and the environment, we can make an enormous difference. I'm excited about the opportunity to develop further our work with King's students and academics and, in doing so, deepen and expand our knowledge of Westminster and the city around us.
Councillor David Harvey, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills
09 April 2019
New King's and Westminster City Council agreement identifies mutual priorities
King’s College London and Westminster City Council have signed a Statement of Intent demonstrating their commitment to working in partnership to serve, support and sustain local communities in ways that contribute to students’ learning and generate research insights of value to London.
King’s and Westminster City Council share a responsibility to Westminster as a global city. Westminster City Council’s vision ‘A City for All’ identifies three priorities: civic leadership and responsibility, opportunity and fairness across the city, and setting the standards for a world class city. In parallel, King’s Vision 2029 outlines the university’s ambition to be a civic university at the heart of London.
To deliver on this vision, King’s world-leading researchers are working on questions directly relevant to the issues faced by local communities across the borough, while its students are involved in a wide range of curricular and co-curricular activities that ensure they are serving while they learn.
King’s and Westminster City Council’s Statement of Intent commits the two organisations to identifying potential areas for collaboration and mutual priorities, informed by their strategic ambitions.
The signing of this statement is a significant moment for the entire King’s community. From our roots here in Aldwych and Strand, King’s has grown to become a global institution while always maintaining strong connections within our local communities – working hard to ensure that King’s international outlook adds value to the place we call home.
Baroness Deborah Bull, Vice President & Vice-Principal (London)
Speaking at the signing event Baroness Bull added: ‘It’s not surprising then that we see our future, and our future success, intertwined with the future of Westminster and of London, as a place to live, work, learn and experience.
‘This Statement of Intent is built upon a strong existing partnership with Westminster and on our shared determination to do more together: recognising the value of the lived experience alongside our academic research and study to develop partnerships that bring value to Westminster’s communities and to our students and staff.’
Existing successful collaborations between King’s and Westminster City Council were highlighted during the signing: the King’s Legal Clinic, which provides free legal advice to local communities; King’s Business School Consultancy Project, which supports small local businesses in London while simultaneously providing real world experience and insight to King’s students; and the Centre for Urban Science and Progress, which works with the analytics team from Westminster City Council to use London as a living laboratory, unlocking insights into the city around us.
King's commitment to London and the communities in which we make our home is set out in King's Civic Charter.