Kingston Council (RBK) are urging residents to sign up for a citizens' assembly on air pollution in the borough.

The Council said the democratic discussions planned amounted to the borough's 'first ever' citizens' assembly.

They are taking place on the weekends of November 9-10, and November 30-December 1.

As the Comet reported earlier this year, a recent study of air pollution in London boroughs found that a site in Kingston (14-16 Cromwell Road) contained 74.4 micrograms of NO2 per cubic metre in 2017, making it one of the most toxic places for air quality in Greater London.

RBK said that a group of residents who signed up for the assembly would be selected "at random" to participate.

The assembly will involve residents taking part in discussions with authorities and public participation charity Involve, who are helping RBK stage the events.

A spokesperson for RBK provided further details of the event and urged Kingstonians to sign up before the deadline on Tuesday, November 5.

"The event, Kingston’s first ever citizens’ assembly, gives randomly selected residents the opportunity to learn about and discuss air quality issues and then reach a conclusion about what they believe should be done to tackle the problem.

"The assembly will be led by Involve, a charity specialising in running public participation events, in partnership with the council," RBK said.

The convening of the assembly mirrored demands by environmental pressure groups like Extinction Rebellion (XR) for more direct democracy across the UK and elsewhere to help address the spiralling climate crisis.

Participation will be selected from people who sign up at random, but there would also be space made available for "observers" who won't be able to take part but can still witness the discussions directly.

"Places are limited and will be split into morning and afternoon slots, so you will need to book and places aren't guaranteed.

"If there is an over-representation of a particular group in an observer session, observers may be offered alternative sessions on a first come first serve basis.

"Observers will sit towards the back of the room and cannot take part in the deliberations but can watch the evidence giving.

"Observers should be aware that they may not be able to hear the deliberations that take place among participants during small-group discussion sessions," the RBK spokesperson said.

Residents in the borough can sign up to take part via the Kingston Let's Talk website, where a full list of rules and information about the citizens' assembly can be found.