Taking Issue With John McDonnell Over Council Services

Sam Hearn updates us on his week as a local councillor

Chiswick Riverside councillors; Sam Hearn, Gabriella Giles and Mike Denniss

Friday 19 th July: As the day dawns I find myself listening to the honeyed words of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. Apparently a new Labour government would pass a law forcing local authorities to bring all their services in house. He cites the Carillion debacle as the reason why this makes sense. He quietly ignores the decades of inefficiency, restrictive practices and corruption in council-run services across the country. In Hounslow we experienced at first hand an in-house refuse collection service that struggled to reach a 17% recycling rate. Under a Conservative-led administration, a private contractor was within three years delivering a 34% recycling rate. The service was brought back in house by Labour and Hounslow now struggles to achieve a 31% recycling rate in its new purpose-built facility.

At our group meeting we bring together our ideas about next week’s borough council meeting. We remain unhappy about Labour’s response to the Boundary Commission’s draft proposals. On purely practical grounds we disagree with the idea that residents are ever better served by the creation of two-member rather than three-member wards when this can so easily be avoided.

Saturday 20th July: On Chiswick High Road with colleagues seeking signatures for the petition to Hounslow Council asking them not to support TfL’s proposal to construct a cycle super-highway (sorry a two lane cycleway) along Chiswick High Road. As usual our request for support is generally well received. Residents queue up to sign. It is interesting how well the campaign message is getting through. Again and again I hear people saying “I am a cyclist but I realise the damage CS9 would do and I want to sign your petition”. You can sign by clicking on this link.

In the evening to the new premises of the Grasshoppers Rugby Club on Syon Lane, Isleworth, for the new Mayor’s inaugural dinner and dance. The building is a little austere on the outside but the large function room with its airy balcony were a revelation. As always, this was an ostensibly non-political fundraising event showcasing the two local charities that the mayor has chosen to support in the year: The Hounslow Elders Trust and Our Barn Community. It was good to hear on the grapevine that the Chiswick Curve project has been vetoed by the secretary of state.

Sunday 21st July: A chance to catch up on casework, particularly the responses received from Hounslow Highways. It was sad to see that resurfacing work on Grove Park Terrace, that will precede the introduction of a new CPZ, will be delayed by essential remedial works by the gas utlility company. Nothing in life is ever simple.

I decide on impulse to make a quick trip out of London in the heat of the afternoon to idyllic Stonor Park. The house has been in the same family for 850 years; they suffered centuries of persecution for their steadfast adherence to the Catholic faith. Made me reflect on the Labour Group’s motion about how our country’s heritage has been shaped by diversity.

Monday 22 nd: To the Hounslow Civic Centre for a meeting of the Community Investment Advisory Panel, one of those bodies that most residents have never heard of. Many small voluntary groups in the borough are not aware of the grants that they can apply for. Funds are not unlimited but it would still be worth checking out the following two links:

• The Community Information Guide is here

• The findings of the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise Survey (VCSE) is online on the LBH website

On my way home I drop in at a well-attended Conservative social event in Osterley. Our hostess, a long-time supporter and originally from Iraq, had laid on a magnificent banquet. Good to see our GLA Member Tony Arbour and his wife Caroline again and our candidate to replace him at next year’s London-wide elections Nick Rogers. Maneesh Singh and Cynthia Torto, two of our candidates for the ward in last year’s local election, were much in evidence. Mary Macleod delivered an amusing and reflective speech. I am used to being the butt of her jokes.

Tuesday 23 rd July: A bit of a dull borough council meeting: a discussion of the annual report of the overview and scrutiny committee was deferred because of the absence of the committee’s chairman, Cllr John Chatt, due to illness. The Labour motion on hate crime was pulled, ostensibly to work on a revised motion that we could all support. Finally, Labour refused our request to extend the meeting for 10 minutes to discuss the motion proposed by Cllr Joanna Biddolph and seconded by Cllr Patrick Barr seeking pledges from the council to set up a cross-party group to lobby TfL to find a long term solution to the closure of Hammersmith Bridge and to provide residents with a quarterly update on progress.

No one in the room seemed overjoyed by the draft proposals from the Local Government Boundary Commission for the new ward boundaries. It was also clear that Labour’s response to the proposals did not command overwhelming support from their side, and the Conservative Group was unable to support it despite some serious cross-party discussions.

Cross-party agreement briefly broke out when I accepted the Labour amendment to my motion calling for some immediate practical action to begin the process of delivering a carbon neutral council by 2030. It is, however, hard to accept the genuineness of Labour’s commitment when they fail actively to support the campaign against Heathrow’s third runway. It is also hard to understand why Labour continues to support CS9/CW9 when TfL itself acknowledges that it will do nothing to reduce air pollution on Chiswick High Road.

Wednesday 24 th July: Hounslow Highways has responded to my request for information about the culling and replanting of street trees across the borough over the last three years. It is encouraging to see that, despite year-on-year fluctuations, more trees are planted than are culled. However, we will have to seriously step up our tree planting if the borough is to be carbon-neutral by 2030.

I was disappointed (not really) when a lady who had asked me to get the council to deal with her wasp infestation rang to say that the wasps had left of their own accord.

Thursday 25 th July: Papers for theplanning committee meeting on 1 st August have been published. The committee will consider the application by the Quentin Trust to construct a new access road off Hartington Road to run parallel to Ibis Lane, and to intensify the use of its rugby pitches and enlarge the rowing club. I will be unable to attend this meeting but interested members of the public can. It is sad that such an important decision has been scheduled for what is traditionally the start of the holiday month.

Dates for diaries

● LBH Cabinet meeting: at which we expect the CS9 decision will be made: 3 rd September at 7pm at Hounslow House

● Borough council: Tuesday, 10 th September at 7.30pm at Hounslow House
● Chiswick Area Forum: Tuesday, 17th September at 7.00pm in Chiswick Town Hall
● Chiswick surgeries: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick library, upstairs in the private room
● Gunnersbury surgeries: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Triangle Club, The Ridgeway, W3 8LN, usually a group discussion but privacy can be arranged.

Councillor Sam Hearn
Chiswick Riverside ward

Email: sam.hearn@hounslow.gov.uk
Phone: 07833 376222
Twitter: @samhearn53

July 25, 2019