RBKC Direct: Early start for Carnival, The world’s most accessible cultural destination, The case for a new school, Smartest Council

This year’s Notting Hill Carnival will start at 9am as part of a raft of measures to ensure that the event is safer and more enjoyable for residents and visitors.

Kensington and Chelsea Council and its partners Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police are calling for three organisational changes to secure Carnival’s future and ensure that by 2012 it is a world-class event epitomising the spirit of the Olympics.

The partners driving the Exhibition Road project have embarked on an unprecedented and commendable journey to make this historic area of South Kensington the most accessible cultural destination in the world.

Reinforcing their commitment to this vision, Kensington and Chelsea Council, Westminster City Council and Transport for London have appointed Cllr Andrew Lamont as access champion for the scheme. Cllr Lamont will be working with traffic engineers and disability groups on the final form of the scheme to ensure it is accessible to all, with disabilities or without.

The Royal Borough is well known for the high standards of its schools, which inevitably means they are oversubscribed. The biggest challenge for many parents is securing a place for their child, as each year many are left disappointed.

One solution is to provide more places, which means building a new secondary school in the north of the borough.

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The Council has a long track record of delivering excellent services. Earlier this year the Audit Commission gave it a four star rating for the seventh year in a row, something only three councils have achieved. The Council has now set itself the target of becoming the country’s ‘Smartest Council’.