Congratulations Cllr Robert Kim!

Due to the untimely passing of an independent candidate, the local elections of councillors in the ward of New Malden of Kingston Council was postponed from 5 May to 23 June.

Early this morning we were greeted by the news that all three of our LibDems candidates: Mark Durrant, Dongsung Kim (aka Robert) and Lesley Anne Heap were swept into victory leaving their Green, Labour and Tory counterparts trailing behind.

The final make up of Kingston Council is as follows: Lib Dems - 44 seats, Conservatives - 3 seats and Kingston Independent Residents Group - 1 seat

Robert joins Elizabeth Park as the second Councillor of Korean descent on Kingston Council, representing New Malden and Old Malden wards, respectively.

There are more than 20,000 Koreans residing in the New Malden area, making up about 10% of the local population. They form part of a growing East and SE Asian community attracted by the good schools and amenities in the borough. The Korean diaspora community have created jobs and opportunities for the local area and contribute to the rich tapestry of Kingston life. Read more about "Little Korea" here.

Congratulations Councillor Robert Kim!!

A delighted Robert messaged us to say:

"Thank you very much for your support. I have been lucky to work with a group of fantastic people."

Robert represents the Korean diaspora community on the CLD executive team.