Clarity, Cleaner Air, Challenges and South Chiswick Again
Chiswick Riverside councillor Gabriella Giles reports back on her week
Clarity, Cleaner Air and Challenges
And so it is, the first weekend in September, and we’re heading back into a new school year and hopefully a bit more structure around the council diary. I suppose we're also eager to hear who the new Prime Minister will be!
Locally, we’ve been visited by both campaign teams, and Jo Biddolph wrote about this in her last blog entry, and so while this has taken up a lot of newspace nationally, I’ll move onto a topic a little closer to home.
South Chiswick again…
Since my last entry in August, we’ve been subject to the traffic changes and surrounding confusion, and while I would rather write about other subjects here, it’s still taking up a lot of our time as councillors. Whether it be confusion over whether you can use Strand-on-the-Green (you can’t if you don’t live there), changes to the Hartington Road and Staveley Road whitelists (remember to register if you live in Strand-on-the-Green), or access to these roads while the A4 is closed (you can until 12th October), it has been hard for residents (an indeed councillors) to keep track of all the changes and what they mean.
Personally, I don’t think this has been helped by so many changes happening over such a short time and in rapid succession. Oh, and while many people have been away, so may not have kept track of the announcements.
From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t help that to get this information easily, you need to be computer literate, or know someone who can help. If you know of anyone who is struggling to get an answer from the council or struggling to complete their online registration, do please get in touch.
Idling Signs
Following worries about the increase of traffic during the A4 works, and the time people would be spent idling in traffic, I made enquiries about putting up “No Idling” Signs across the ward, and was delighted to spot these earlier in the week. While it may be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair, it’s better than nothing given that it’s better to turn off your engine if you’re going to wait for traffic to move. Especially at the lights at Sutton Court Road.
New Boundaries, new challenges
At the last election, the boundaries for Chiswick Riverside shifted West and took in a little bit of Brentford. With this, it also brings some new pieces of casework, fly tipping being one, disabled access on Bath Road and the painting of double yellow lines on private property being some more. It’s been great to meet residents and see what can be done, even when some requests have been in for over 20 years!
Back to the council
You may have noticed that the Homefields Councillors, and most recently John Todd and Gerald McGregor in their blogs, made reference to cancelled meetings and raised questions about the current leadership team, and in reviewing my inbox over the last couple of weeks, I can’t help but agree.
After a pretty intense induction scheme, which spanned May to July, I was very surprised to receive a new spate of dates for further meetings and training in the next couple of months, and even into the new year. As councillors, there is an expectation that we should be able to attend meetings with residents, manage casework, attend Borough Council meetings, attend the various committees and panels we are members of, and of course generally uphold the role to which we’ve been elected, but at some point you have to wonder if all this training is helping us to be better in our roles.
I can’t help but think that the new leadership in Hounslow has decided to compensate for something by setting a new agenda to keep us all as busy as possible with internal meetings and training that we don’t actually have time to deal with the issues at hand. I suppose only time will tell, so with the revamped Chiswick Area Forum coming up on the 13th of September, followed by the first meeting of the full borough council on the 20th, we’ll have an opportunity to review. If it’s not cancelled, of course!
Councillor Gabriella Giles
Chiswick Riverside
Gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk
07966 270823
SURGERIES IN CHISWICK AND GUNNERSBURY
We are back to our usual routine of holding face-to-face surgeries in Chiswick and in Gunnersbury.
Chiswick: Every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am at Chiswick Library (the eight Conservative councillors take this surgery in turn).
Gunnersbury: First Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club, Triangle Way, off The Ridgeway, W3 8LU (at least one of the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors takes this surgery).
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday, 6th September at 7pm: Cabinet
Thursday, 8th September at 7pm: Planning committee
Tuesday, 13th September at 7pm: Chiswick Area Forum (6.30 start for the marketplace)
Tuesday, 20th September at 7pm: Borough Council meeting
CONSERVATIVE COUNCILLORS and CONTACTS
Chiswick Gunnersbury (was Turnham Green) ward
Cllr Joanna Biddolph joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 703446
Cllr Ranjit Gill ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702956
Cllr Ron Mushiso ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk 07976 702887
Chiswick Homefields ward
Cllr Jack Emsley jack.emsley@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 396017
Cllr Gerald McGregor gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784821
Cllr John Todd john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk 07866 784651
Chiswick Riverside ward
Cllr Peter Thompson peter.thompson@hounslow.gov.uk 07977 395810
Cllr Gabriella Giles gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk 07966 270823
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September 4, 2022