A Week In The Life Of A Chiswick Councillor

Sam Hearn discusses issues of local interest

Cllr Sam Hearn, who represents the Riverside ward in Chiswick, is chairman of the Chiswick Area Forum. He has written this account of his life as a busy local councillor.

Saturday – 11th October: Out of London for a few hours to; see an old friend who is building his own house, on to a school reunion and then to the trustees’ meeting of a small educational charity. Somewhere along the line fitted in three phone calls to constituents who had left messages. Back in to Chiswick to help celebrate the nuptials of two friends. A genuinely happy event.

Sunday – 10th October: A concerted effort to catch up on council emails that I have been unable to access for several weeks. Amazing how many adverts etc, still get past the protection software. An email from CAMRA caught my eye with a plea to protect London’s pubs.

Monday – 12th October : Members’ Development Training at the Civic Centre – two excellent briefings by really committed Officers on our responsibilities to vulnerable adults and the Local Authority’s role in Public Health. Also, a serendipitous meeting with two people from Hounslow Highways promising an improved service.

Tuesday – 13th October: Catching up on casework and considering responses from Officers.

Wednesday – 14th October: Out canvassing with Cllr Paul Lynch and two others. An excellent reception on the door step but we had to stop when the canvass sheets became too sodden to write on. Tramping the streets in the rain reminded me of the by-election campaign at which I was first elected and the camaraderie of my (soon to be) councillor colleagues.

Thursday – 15th October: A meeting with Jonathan Knight of the Grove Park Group to run through a few wonderfully creative ideas for something to be included in an application for a street improvement grant. Then on to a social and fundraising event in Osterley for Mary Macleod, with the Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Phillip Hammond MP as guest of honour. A stark reminder of how noisy the planes can be.

Friday – 16th October: A quick re-check of the local pending planning decisions to make sure that I have missed nothing. More emails from resident unable to get a response from Hounslow Highways about their various problems. Out tonight at The Gunnersbury Triangle Club for a Quiz night in aid of the Tennis Club.

October 17, 2014