Published: Thursday 28 May 2026
Councillor Elizabeth Campbell has been confirmed as Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea following the Conservative group's majority in the May 2026 local elections. Her third time in the role, and one she says she accepts with humility and a clear sense of purpose.
Speaking at the Council's annual meeting, Cllr Campbell reflected on what residents told her during this election campaign. The message, she said, was not about grand ambitions or headline-making announcements. It was about the everyday things that make a borough work: clean streets, well-maintained parks, bins collected on time, and a Council that responds when it is needed. "They want the basics done brilliantly," she told the chamber. "And that is exactly what we will do."
That commitment is already being translated into action. A refreshed leadership team will take forward four central themes:
- Clean streets and amazing places
- Value for money
- Continuing to get the basics right
- Making residents' lives easier
The team brings together experienced councillors across a range of portfolios, with Cllr Emma Will stepping up as Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Finance and Property.
- Cllr Cem Kemahli takes on Housing
- Cllr Tom Bennett leads on Modernisation and Change
- Cllr Sarah Addenbrooke on Business and Communities
- Cllr Johnny Thalassites on Resident Services, Planning and Enforcement
- Cllr Josh Rendall on Transport, Parks and Clean Streets
- Cllr Lucy Knight on Adult Social Care and Public Health
- Cllr Catherine Faulks on Families and Children.
Cllr Campbell also used her speech to pay a personal tribute to outgoing Deputy Leader Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, who steps back from the leadership team after nearly a decade of service to the borough.
Full details of the new leadership team and portfolios are available here.